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REGINA 

OR THE sms OF THE FATHERS 
BY 

HERMANN SUDERMANN 

M 


TRANSLATED BT 
BEATRICE MARSHALL 


NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY, MCMX 
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD 



COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY 
John Lane. 


COPYRIGHT, 1905, BY 
John Lane Company. 



REGINA 

OR THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


CHAPTER I 

Peace was signed, and the world, which for so long 
had been the great Corsican’s plaything, came to 
itself again. It came to itself, bruised and mangled, 
bleeding from a thousand wounds, and studded 
with battle-fields like a body with festering sores. 
Yet, in the rebound from bondage to freedom, men 
did not realise that there was anything very pitiable 
in their condition. The ground from which their 
wheat sprang, they reflected, would bear all the 
richer fruit from being soaked in blood, and if 
bullets and bayonets had thinned their ranks, there 
was now more elbow-room for those who were left. 

The yawning vacuums in the seething human 
caldron gave a man space to breathe in. One 
great chorus of rejoicing from the Rock of Gibraltar 
to the North Cape ascended heavenwards. Bells 
in every steeple were set in motion, and from every 
altar and from every humble hearth arose prayers 
of thanksgiving. Mourners hid their diminished 

A * 


2 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

heads, for the burst of victorious song drowned 
their lamentations, and the earth absorbed their 
tears as indifferently as it had sucked in the blood 
of their fallen. 

In glorious May weather the Peace of Paris was 
concluded. Lilies bloomed once more out of lakes 
of blood, and from the obscurity of lumber-rooms 
the blood-saturated banner of the fleur de lys was 
dragged forth into the light of day. The Bourbons 
crept from their hiding-places, whither they had 
been driven by fear of Robespierre's knife. They 
rubbed their eyes and forthwith began to reign. 
They had forgotten nothing and learnt nothing, 
except a new catchword from Talleyrand's en tout 
cos vocabulary, t.e. Legitimacy. The rest of the 
world was too busily engaged in wreathing laurels 
to crown the conquerors, and filling up bumpers 
to drink their health in, to pay any attention to this 
farce of Bourbon government. All eyes were 
turned in a fever of expectancy towards the West, 
whence were to come the conquering heroes, the 
laurel-crowned warriors who had been willing to 
sacrifice their lives for the honour of wife and child, i 
for justice, and for the sacred soil of their father- 
land. They had been under the fire of the Corsican 
Demon, the oppressor whom they in their turn had 
hunted and run to earth, till at last he lay in 
shackles at their feet. ; 

When the victors began the homeward march, the ^ 
German oaks were bursting into leaf, soon to be i 
laughingly plundered of their young green foliage. | 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 3 

On they came in swarms, first, joyous and light- 
hearted, the pride and flower of the Fatherland, the 
sons of the wealthy, who, as Volunteer Jagers, with 
their own horses and their own arms, had gone 
forth to the war of Liberation. Their progress 
through Germany was one magnificent ovation. 
Wherever they came, their path was strewn with 
roses, the most beautiful of maidens longed for the 
honour of winning their love, and the most costly 
wines flowed like water. Behind them followed 
a stream of Kossacks, riding over the German fields 
with a loose rein. A year before, when they had 
galloped like a troop of furies in the rear of the 
hunted remnant of the Grande Arm^e, the whole 
country had greeted them as saviours of Germany. 
Public receptions had been organised in their 
honour, hymns composed in their praise, and all 
sorts of blue-eyed German sentiment was lavishly 
poured out on the unwashed Tartar horde. To-day, 
too, they were conscientiously f^ted, but the gaze 
of all true-hearted Germans was directed with 
intensest longing beyond them, looking for those 
who were still to come, of whom they seemed but 
the heralding shadows. 

And at last these came, the men of the people, 
who had taken all their capital, their bare lives, in 
their hand, and gone forth to offer it up for the 
Fatherland. They advanced with a sound as of 
bursting trumpets, half hidden by dense columns of 
dust. Not exalted and splendid beings as they had 
often been painted in the imagination of the stay- 


4 


THE SINS OF IHE FATHERS 


at-homes,” with a halo of diamonds flashing round 
their heads, and a cloak flung proudly like a toga 
round their shoulders. No ; they were faded and 
haggard, tired as overdriven horses, covered with 
vermin, filthy and in rags ; their beards matted with 
sweat and dust. This was the plight in which they 
came home. Some were so emaciated and ghastly 
pale that they looked as if they could hardly drag 
one weary foot after the other ; others wore a 
greedy, brutalised expression, and the reflection of 
the lurid glare of war seemed yet to linger in their 
sunken, hollow eyes. They held their knotty fists 
still clenched in the habitual cramp of murderous 
lust. Only here and there shone tears of pure, 
inspired emotion ; only here and there hands were 
folded on the butt-end of muskets in reverent, 
grateful prayer. But all were welcome, and none 
were too coarse and hardened by their work of 
blood and revenge to find balm in the tears and 
kisses of their loved ones, and to greet with hope 
the dawn of purer times. Of course it could not 
be expected that passions which had been lashed 
into such abnormal and furious activity, would all 
at once calm down and slumber again. The hand 
that has wielded a sword needs time before it can 
accustom itself to the plough and scythe, and not 
every man knows how to forget immediately the wild 
licence of the camp in the hallowed atmosphere 
of home. 

Every peace is followed by a period of delirium. 
It was thus in Germany in anno ’14. That year. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


5 

from which to this generation nothing has descended 
but the echo of a unison of paeans, swelling organ- 
strains, and clash of bells, was in reality more re- 
markable for tyranny and crime than any year before 
or since. More especially was this the case in dis- 
tricts where before the war the overweening arro- 
gance and cruelty of the French occupier had been 
most heavily felt. Here the beast was let loose in 
man. The senses of those who stayed at home 
had been so inflamed by the scent of blood from dis- 
tant battle-fields, and the smoke of burning villages, 
that they conjured up before their mental eyes 
scenes of horror and devastation at which they had 
not been present. Many thirsted for vengeance on 
secret wrongs, on acts of cowardice and treachery 
as yet unexpiated. After all, it seemed as if the 
awakened fervour of patriotism, the flowing streams 
of freshly-spilled blood, could not suffice even now 
to wipe out the memory of the shame and humilia- 
tion of previous years. 

No one had any suspicion, then, that the Corsican 
vulture, set fast in his island cage, was already be- 
ginning to sharpen his iron beak, preparatory to 
gnawing through its bars, and that before his final 
capture thousands of veins were yet to be opened 
and drained of their blood. 


CHAPTER II 


One August day in this memorable year, a party of 
young men were gathered together in the parlour 
of a large country house. 

The oak table round which they were seated pre- 
sented a goodly array of tankards, and short, bulky 
bottles containing schnaps. Their faces, flushed with 
brandy and enthusiasm, were almost entirely con- 
cealed from view by the dense clouds of smoke 
they puffed from their huge pipes. 

They were defenders of their country only lately 
returned home, and were revelling in reminiscences 
of the war. There was that distinct family likeness 
among them which equality in birth, breeding, and 
education often stamps on men between whom 
there exists no tie of blood-relationship. 

Warfare had coarsened their honest, healthy 
countenances, and left its mark there in many a dis- 
figuring scar and gash. Two or three still wore their 
arms in slings, and evidently none of them had as yet 
made up their minds to lay aside the black, frogged 
military coat to which they had become so proudly 
accustomed. For the most part they were well-to- 
do yeomen belonging to the village of Heide and 
its outlying hamlets, and though their homes were 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 7 

sc* U»cred they were united in a strong bond of 
neighbourly friendship. Some still lived on their 
fathers* patrimony, others had come into their own 
estate. It had never been their lot to experience 
the pinch of poverty, to till the soil and follow the 
plough, and so they had remained unaffected by the 
great changes Stein’s new code a few years before 
had brought about in the position of the peasantry. 
In the spring, when the King’s appeal to his subjects 
had resounded through the land, they could afford 
to leave their crops and, like the sons of the nobility, 
hurry with their own arms and their own horses to 
enlist in the ranks of the volunteer Jagers. 

Only one member of the little group apparently 
belonged to another station in life. He occupied 
the one easy-chair the house boasted, an ungainly 
piece of upholstery, much the worse for wear. 

His face was pale, somewhat sallow in colouring. 
The features were refined and delicately chiselled. 
The brown, melancholy eyes were shaded by long 
black lashes, which when he looked down cast a heavy 
fringe of shadow on his thin cheeks. Though he 
must certainly have been the youngest of them all, 
having hardly completed his twenty-second year, he 
looked like a man who had long ago ceased to take 
any pleasure in the mere frivolities of life. 

On his smooth, square brow were lines that 
denoted energy and defiance, and in the blue hollows 
round his eyes lay traces of a past sorrow. He 
wore a grey overcoat that seemed too narrow across 
the shoulders, and beneath it a woollen shirt finely 


8 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


tucked, and ornamented with a row of mother-of- 
nearl buttons. The only military thing about him was 
the forage-cap bearing the Landwehr badge, which 
he had pushed on to the back of his head, to prevent 
the hard edge pressing on the scarcely healed wound 
which made a lurid streak on his forehead, close to 
where the dark hair clustered in heavy masses. 

He was the cynosure of all eyes. Every one 
waited anxiously for him to take the lead in con- 
versation. Next to him, on his right, sat a muscular 
youth, not much older than himself, who regarded 
him with unceasing and tender solicitude. To all 
appearances he was the host. There was a patch 
of white plaster on one of his temples, but his 
round, jovial face beamed radiantly nevertheless 
out of its frame of unkempt fUr hair that hung about 
his neck and throat in wildest confusion. 

say, lieutenant, you are positively drinking 
nothing,” he exclaimed, pushing the bottle nearer 
him. ^‘Because you aren’t used to our beer, and 
still less used to our schnaps, there's no reason 
why you should be shy of swilling that red stuff of 
which we have plenty to spare. . . . We aren’t 
rich, as you know, but if you stopped here till 
Doomsday we could supply you every day with a 
bottle like that. Couldn’t we, lads ? ” 

The others assented, and pressed round him 
eagerly to clink their mugs and liqueur-glasses 
against his cracked wine-glass. 

A ray of gratitude and pleasure illumined momen- 
tarily the sad, pale face. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


9 

“ I knew,” he said — ** I knew that if I came here 
you’d make me feel at home. Otherwise I should 
have gone on my way.” 

That w’ould have been kind of you, I must say, 
cried the host — what did we enter into our 
covenant of blood for, and swear to be true till 
death after our first battle, don’t you remember ? In 
the church at . . . where was it ? I never can pro- 
nounce the name of the cursed hole ! ” 

*'The hole was Dannigkow,” answered the young 
stranger addressed as lieutenant.” 

Ah, yes, that’s it ! ” the host went on. And 
do you imagine we went through that little cere- 
mony with the sole purpose of letting you avoid us 
in future ? Was it for that we chose you for our 
commanding officer, and blindly followed you into 
the thickest of the fight ? No, Baumgart, there’s 
no cement like blood and powder. So the devil 
take it, man, you must promise to stay with us a 

bit, now we’ve got you ” 

** Don’t talk nonsense, old fellow, it is impos- 
sible,” the lieutenant replied, and blew thoughtfully 
on the purple mirror of his wine. But his friend 
was not to be silenced. 

“ You needn’t be frightened,” he continued, ** that 
we shall plague you with curious questions. From 
the first we got into the way of looking on you as 
a sort of mystery. When we others used to lie by 
the bivouac fire and talk of our homes and parents, 
our sweethearts and sisters, your lips were resolutely 
sealed as they are now. And if one of us plucked 


10 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

up courage to ask you where you came from, and 
what you had been before the war, you always got 
up and walked away. We gave up questioning you 
at last, and thought to ourselves, ‘ He has gone 
through a furnace, may be, that has spoilt his life, 
and what concern is that of ours ? ' You were a 
good comrade, ail of us can testify to that, and 
what is more, the most fearless, the bravest. . . . 
Ah, well, the fact is, that you had only to tell one 
of us to cut off his right hand, and he'd have done 
it without a murmur. Isn't it true, lads ? " 

An exclamation of assent went round the table. 

** For mercy’s sake, say no more,” said the young 
lieutenant. I don’t know which way to look 
because of all this undeserved praise.” 

Wait, I've more to say yet,” the master of the 
house insisted on continuing. ‘‘ Once we were 
really almost angry with you. You know why 
that was. During the armistice, shortly before we 
joined forces with the Lithuanians under Platen and 
Biilow, you were in the guard-room one evening, 
when you suddenly made a clean breast of it and 
announced that you must go away. You said, 
‘Don’t ask me the reason, lads. But believe me, 
I can’t help myself. The Landwehr wants officers. 
I know it is not much of an honour to leave the 
Jagers, for the Landwehr; but I’m going to do it, all 
the same.’ Those were your very words, weren't 
they, Baumgart ? ” 

The lieutenant nodded, and a bitter smile played 
round his lips. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS ii 


** Tears were in your eyes as you spoke, otherwise 
one or other of us would have asked you if that was 
all the thanks we were to get for the confidence we 
had placed in you, to be deserted just then . . . 
just when we longed to show those Platen fellows 
what baiting the French really meant. . . . We let 
you go without raising an objection, but our hearts 
bled. . . . Afterwards we heard nothing of you, 
no news in reply to all our inquiries; but I can 
tell you this much, we never ceased to talk of you 
every night for months. We racked our brains to 
think what had taken you away; speculated on 
where you were gone, and the like, till the men who 
joined later and had known you got sick of it, and 
implored us to give up talking about you, and to con- 
sign you to the Landwehr refuse-heap once for all. 
So you see how we pined for you ; and now, after 
two days, you actually propose to turn your back 
on us again ! It*s a long journey from the Marne 
to the Weichsel, and a solitary one to walk, and 
your wounds still smarting. Stay and take a good 
rest, and relate at your leisure what your adventures 
with the greybeards really were, and how you 
came to be taken prisoner ... it must have been a 
strange accident that betrayed you into captivity ? ” 
He glanced down with ingenuous pride at the 
iron cross which dangled between the froggings of 
his coat. It had been bestowed on him in reward 
for the intrepidity with which he had, unpardoned, 
hewn his way out of a nest of French Hussars and 
regained his liberty. 


12 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

The lieutenant’s breast was bare of ornament. 
At the end of the campaign, when a shower of 
decorations had rained down on the victorious 
warriors, he had not been present to receive his 
share. A painful sensation of being passed in 
the race, almost akin to shame, swept over him. 
He pushed his cap farther on to his brow, and 
drew himself erect in his chair, as if its fusty 
cushions threatened to suffocate him. 

Thank you,” he said, for your kind intentions, 
but I must go to Konigsberg directly to report 
myself to the Commandant.” 

** I’m afraid you’ll have some difficulty in finding 
him there,” put in a curly-headed young man with 
twinkling dark eyes, who wore his right arm in a 
black sling. 

Don’t you know that directly it came back the 
Landwehr was disbanded ? ” 

** Even the staff is broken up/’ remarked an- 
other. 

*‘Then I must try my luck with the Commis- 
sioner-General,” replied Lieutenant Baumgart. ** I 
have more reason, perhaps, than any one else to be 
extra careful that my discharge papers are in good 
order. At least, I fancy so. I don’t want the 
reproach to be fastened on me that I sneaked out 
of the army secretly. So, please let me know as 
soon as you can if there will be any conveyance 
going to-morrow to Konigsberg ? ” 

A storm of indignation arose. They all left their 
seats, some seizing his hand, some forming a cordon 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 13 

round him, as if to prevent his departure by physical 
force. 

“Stay at least a little longer, lest the fete we are 
organising in your honour should fall through,” ex- 
horted Karl Engelbert, the young host, as soon as 
I he could make his voice heard above the hubbub. 

Baumgart turned to him with a quick gesture of 
I inquiry. 

I “In my honour?” he exclaimed. “Are you 
i mad?” 

“There’s no getting out of it now,” was the an- 
swer. “It was all settled the day you turned up 
5 here. I despatched Johann Radtke at once with 
a list of all the Jagers in the country round 
I who are at home. Then, you know, we have repre- 
t sentatives of six or seven regiments living about 
, here. . . . Especially did I impress on him that 

! he was to go to Schranden, where Merckel lives. 

Merckel,” he added, “went over to the Landwehr, 
!' too ; for if he hadn’t, he couldn’t have made sure of 
I his lieutenancy. So there was more sense in his 
I taking the step.” 

I Baumgart at the mention of his name winced, but 
j quickly recovering himself, gripped convulsively the 
i arms of the battered easy-chair, and, with head 
bowed, listened in silence to what his well-meaning 
friends had to say about the gala-day arranged in 
his honour. He gave up protesting further, because 
he saw open resistance was useless. But the un- 
easy glances he cast about him seemed to indicate 
that he was meditating immediate flight. 


14 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

His friends, however, did not observe his rest- 
lessness. After the excitement of war which had 
stirred their blood out of its normal channel, they 
found it irksome to subside into the ordinary routine 
of private life, and hailed with delight any excuse 
for varying its monotony with a few hours' roister- 
ing and dissipation. They were now engaged in 
eagerly discussing the result of their messenger's 
mission, whose return from Schranden, a few miles 
away, they had been expecting hourly all the 
morning. 

'*1 wonder,” said Peter Negenthin, the youth 
with the black sling, ''how the Schrandeners arc 
getting on with that fine landlord of theirs ? ” 

Lieutenant Baumgart started and listened with 
all his ears. 

** They set his house on fire long ago,” remarked 
another. ** For five years he's been roosting among 
the blackened ruins like an owl.” 

‘^Why didn't he build his castle up again?” 
asked a third. 

** Why ? Because the peasants and farmers 
down in the village would have thrashed any one 
at the cart-wheel who dared to work for him. Once 
he tried getting labourers over from his foreign 
estates, thinking that as they couldn't understand 
German it would be all right; . . . but there was 
a free fight one day down at the inn, and heigh 
presto! — the Poles were hounded back to where 
they came from. Since then he hasn't made any 
more attempts to cultivate his land ” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 15 

** How does he live then ? ” 

** Who cares how he lives ! Let him starve.” 

In the midst of laughter, mingled with growls of 
hate which this humane remark had called forth 
from these doughty sons of the soil, the anxiously 
awaited ambassador entered the room. He was 
a stoutly built short man, whose straight fair hair, 
as yellow and bright as new thatch, hung over his 
round face, which was the colour of a lobster from 
exposure to the heat of the sun. Steaming with 
perspiration, and breathless from his hurried ride, 
he seized the stone jug of monstrous girth that 
stood in the middle of the table, before speaking a 
word, and held it to his lips with both hands, where 
it remained so long that it had at last to be torn 
away from his mouth by force, much to the amuse- 
ment of the company. After a fusilade of banter 
and jokes had been discharged at him from all sides, 
he blurted forth his news. The idea of the fSte 
had, it seemed, been caught at with enthusiasm. 
Every one in the neighbourhood was willing to lend 
his countenance to festivities in honour of those 
who had done such splendid service in the cause of 
German Unity. The only difference of opinion was 
as to where they were to come off. The Schran- 
deners, with Lieutenant Merckel at their head, de- 
clared that no spot on earth could be a more 
appropriate scene for their celebration than their 
own village. 

*^Then you see, lads,” explained the messenger, 
‘‘the Schrandeners have private reasons for being 


1 6 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

particularly gay just now. They are dancing in 
front of their houses, and scarcely know whether 
they are standing on their head or their heels, 
ril tell you why. Perhaps you know that little 
chorale that they’ve for the last seven years been 
singing in church ? 

“ Our gracious Baron and Lord 
Of Schrandener^ souls abhorred, 

For the shame hds brought on our head^ 

O God^ let the plague strike him dead^ 

‘^Well, in a fashion their prayer has been an- 
swered. The betrayer of their country, who never 
tired of cursing and damning them up hill and 
down dale, and heaped on them every foul epithet 
he could lay tongue to, may now lie and rot in a 
ditch for all they care. They have sworn not to 
bury him.” 

Then arose excited shouts and eager questioning. 

** Is he dead, the dog ? ” 

'*Has the devil taken him to himself at last? 
Hal ha! Bravo!” 

Suddenly, above the din of voices, a grinding 
crunching noise was heard. Baumgart’s arm had 
clasped the back of his chair with such vehemence 
that the long-suffering worm-eaten wood had col- 
lapsed. He sat rigid and motionless, staring at the 
speaker with wide, strained eyes, unconscious of 
the injury he had inflicted on the ancestral piece 
of furniture. Then garrulous Johann Radtke 
proceeded — 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 17 

^'Yes, happily enough, they were the cause of 
his death at last. They have never ceased to 
harass and torment him, and it was while they 
were trying to demolish the Cats’ Bridge that he 
had a stroke of apoplexy from rage, and fell down 
foaming at the mouth.” 

“Lieutenant, have you ever heard of the Cats’ 
Bridge?” 

Still he neither moved nor uttered a word ; only 
I set his teeth on his under lip, till it bled. As if 
turned to stone, he sat gazing fixedly up into the 
speaker’s face. 

“ It was by the Cats’ Bridge that the French made 
the famous, or rather I should say infamous, sortie 
which surprised the Prussians, and it was the 
; Baron who showed them the secret path which 
I leads to it. You have heard of the Schranden inva- 
sion, of course. It’s recorded in every calendar ? ” 

The lieutenant nodded mechanically like a doomed 
man, who, swooning, resigns himself to inevitable 
fate. 

I “The stroke took him before their very eyes,” 

I Radtke went on. “ His precious sweetheart, the 
village carpenter’s daughter, the baggage who lived 
with him, you know, threw herself on his body, 
for the Lord only knows what liberties they 
might not have taken with it when their blood 
was up.” 

“ And now they refuse to bury him, you say ? ” 
interrupted the good-natured Karl Engelbert, shak- 
ing his head meditatively. “ Is such a scandalous 

B 


1 8 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


outrage as that allowed to pass unpunished in a 
Christian country ? ” 

Johann laughed scoffingly. 

^^The Schrandeners are like a flock of sheep. If 
one declines to pollute his hands with bearing such 
carrion to the grave, all the rest decline also. And 
who can blame them ? " 

But,” some one suggested, “ suppose it came 
to the ear of the law ? ” 

The law ! Ha, ha ! Old Merckel is their 
magistrate, and he says, as far as he is concerned, 

they might have flayed ” 

He broke off abruptly, for with a smothered cry 
of pain, and a gesture half threatening, half self- 
defensive, the young lieutenant had started to his 
feet. He was whiter than the whitewashed wall 
behind him, and a thin thread of crimson trickled 
from his blanched lips, over his chin. 

Stop, for God's sake ! ” he stammered in a 
strange muffled almost inaudible voice, and those 
who caught his words shrank away in horror. 

‘‘ He was my father I ” 


CHAPTER III 


The moon had risen and flooded the tranquil heath 
with its soft bluish radiance. Down in the marshes 
the alder-bushes were tipped with crowns of light, 
and the white, slender trunks of the birches which 
flanked the highway in interminable rows shone 
and shimmered, till the road seemed to stretch away 
and lose itself between hedges of burnished silver. 
Silence reigned everywhere. The last note of the 
birds* evening chorale had long since died away. 
Peace, the peace of well-being, peculiar to late 
summer, pervaded the wide-stretching level fields. 
Even the grasshopper in the ditch, and a field- 
mouse scurrying in alarm through the tall blades of 
corn, hardly broke the stillness. 

A traveller with staff and knapsack came along 
the road, gazing absently before him, evidently obli- 
vious of the magic of the moon-lit landscape. It 
was the young lieutenant, on his way home to bury 
the father whose memory was held in such universal 
detestation. His host had put his best equipage at 
his disposal, but his comrade had firmly refused to 
accept the offer, and he had been obliged to content 
himself with accompanying his guest part of the 

way on foot. At parting he had solemnly affirmed 
19 


20 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

that the compact of eternal friendship that they had 
entered into as brothers-in-arms after their first 
baptism of fire would hold good now and always, 
** the sins of the fathers ’’ notwithstanding. When- 
ever he was in need of help and sympathy in the 
future, he might rely on the good-will of him and 
his neighbours. 

This was meant well, but brought no comfort to 
the young man’s sore heart. The allusion to the 
sins of the fathers” stung him to the quick. It 
sounded very much like an insult, yet an insult 
that he was powerless to resent openly, as there 
was no shuffling off the incubus of shame which, 
as his father’s heir, now weighed on his innocent 
shoulders. 

Thus fiercely brooding he walked on, and pictures 
of the past involuntarily rose before his mental 
vision. He had never loved his father — the harsh, 
tyrannical man who flogged the peasants, whose 
laughter was more terrible than his oaths, to whom 
he, his only son, had been not much more than the 
pet dog that one minute was allowed to bite his 
heels when he was in a good humour, only to be 
hurled across the room the next with a savage kick. 
As long as he could remember, the small muscular 
figure, the sallow face with its high cheek-bones, 
coal-black goat’s beard, and little keen grey eyes, 
had been the terror of his childhood. His mother 
he had never known. She had succumbed, a few 
years after his birth, to a long and tedious illness. 
It was rumoured at the time, in the village, that her 


21 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

lord's ungovernable passions had been the death of 
her — that his love was as terrible as his hate. 

Her picture had hung at the end of a long line 
of ghostly portraits in the dimly-lighted picture- 
gallery with its vaulted roof, where one’s footsteps 
echoed uncannily between the stone walls, and 
where it was possible to shiver with cold on the 
hottest summer day. . . . The picture of a gentle, 
tired-looking woman with thin bloodless lips, and 
half-closed lids that seemed to droop from sheer 
weariness and lack of spirit. 

Many a time, unseen, the boy had stood by the 
hour before this picture, and waited — waited for the 
heavy lids to lift, that one warm ray of maternal 
love might at last be shed into his lonely young 
life. He would fold his hands in prayer, and lift 
a tear-stained face in eager anticipation, while his 
heart beat for fear ; but the picture never came to 
life. Tired and slumberous as ever, as if already 
half- closed in their last long sleep, the heavily 
shadowed, star-like eyes continued to look down 
on him with a strange, cold, metallic gleam, till he 
could bear it no longer, and would rush from the 
spot half distracted with disappointment 

Not far from his mother’s picture hung another 
still more remarkable — the portrait of an exquisitely 
beautiful woman with blue-black hair. The artist 
had represented her in the act of mounting a horse. 
A red velvet cloak, embroidered with gold and 
bordered with fur, hung over her left shoulder, and 
in her right hand, which was covered with a long, 


22 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


wrinkled, gauntleted glove, she tenaciously grasped 
her riding-whip. It was easy to imagine her bring- 
ing it down with a will on the back of a mauvais 
sujet. The whole figure was instinct with indomi- 
table spirit and energy. Life glowed in the dark 
eyes that flashed imperiously from the canvas, as 
if demanding the homage of all who came within 
their radius. This was his grandmother in her 
youth — the old lady whose shrill scolding tongue, 
and witch-like appendages in the shape of gold- 
headed canes, liqueur-glasses, and snuff-boxes, were 
indissolubly associated with the boy's earliest 
memories. She had been the evil star of his 
house. Before her marriage, one of the most 
admired beauties of the Polish Court in Saxony, 
she had instilled into his father with the milk from 
her breast love for the country of the Pole, so that 
he, a nobleman of German name and lineage, living 
on German soil, grew up to hate the land of his 
birth, and to set all his affections on the moribund 
chimera of Polish nationaUty. Though he had 
married a German lady, he had not hesitated to 
give his son a Polish name, which, to be doomed 
to bear at a time when the spirit of hyper-sensitive 
patriotism was rampant in the land, seemed a worse 
misfortune by far than being afflicted by some 
hereditary disease. 

But what was the innocent name of Boleslav com- 
pared with the indelible disgrace that his father, 
through his insane infatuation for the Poles, had 
since brought on him and his race ? 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 23 

And now he was dead, this father, and of the 
dead one should speak no evil. Yet even as he 
repeated this truism to himself, the consciousness 
of the stain with which he was branded, which no 
power on earth could remove, overwhelmed him 
with acutest anguish. 

Passionately he threw up his arms towards the 
soft, blue, star-spangled heavens, as if he fain 
would demand that the soul of his father should 
; be instantly brought to judgment, no matter in 
what remote planet it might be hiding. 

Then came a reaction. His vehemence was suc- 
ceeded by a gentler mood. He flung himself on the 
damp, dewy grass by the roadside, and buried his 
face in his hands. He felt he should like to cry. 

1 But his lids remained dry and burning. The 
i thought of his immediate future was almost more 
than he could bear. He reflected that in a few 
I hours he should find a forsaken wilderness, a 
I howling desolation, where once bathed in all the 
j rosy radiance of his boyish vision he had beheld a 
I scene of sylvan peace and beauty. 

For though he had been a lonely, motherless 
boy, it would have been wicked and ungrateful to 
maintain that even his childhood had not had 
its share of sunshine, and boasted its hours of 
unalloyed delight. Had be not been allowed to 
roam where he listed, through field and forest, 
untrammelled by conventions about meals and bed- 
time, as free to do as he pleased as any Robin 
Hood or gipsy in Arcadia? When the soft May 


24 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

zephyrs breathed on the shaking grasses, and the 
yellow butterfly danced from flower to flower, he 
had lain on his back between the tall blades and 
meadow-sweet, looking up into the blue sky, his 
day-dreams undisturbed. He might have stayed 
there from morning till night; so long as he was 
not hungry he did stay, and it mattered to no one. 

If he took it into his head to wander off with the 
shepherd to the distant moorlands, fro partake of 
black bread from his wallet, and quench his thirst 
at the babbling streams, who was there to prevent 
it? He was his own master. Round the Castle, 
which commanded an extensive view of the country, 
flowed the sparkling, merry river, in great serpen- 
tine curves, between its wooded banks and green 
terraces. By the river-side there was always some- 
thing of interest going on. There the grooms 
watered the horses, the tanner washed his skins, 
and the boys winked from behind their fishing-rods 
at the servant-girls paddling bare-legged in and 
out of the water. But greatest delight of all — 
when the sun went down behind the alders, the 
stately wild deer would venture cautiously out of 
the neighbouring thicket, climb down the steep 
incline, through bush and briar, and thirstily lap up 
the moisture with its parched tongue. Often it was 
necessary to lie in ambush more than half-an-hour 
without moving so much as a hair to witness this 
enchanting spectacle, otherwise it would have 
vanished like a mirage. And what in the world 
could be more glorious than, when the moon rose 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 25 

and cast a silver network on the ripples ; when the 
alders looked like white-veiled princesses, and the 
lively wenches sang over their griddle snatches of 
plaintive song, to plunge into the depths of the 
wood, and with a canopy of foliage overhead, and 
moonbeams dancing round you, dream the night 
away, and wake to greet the dawn ? He let his 
hands fall from his face ; and stared round him with 
vacant, wild eyes. The fields lay white and still 
in the moonlight. 

Only the tree under which he rested cast dark, 
jagged bars of shadow over the peaceful landscape. 
A pitiful sound like the scream of a child in distress 
arose in the distance. It came from a young hare 
that had lost itself in the furrows, and frightened 
and hungry was crying for its mother, little sus- 
pecting that every yell was but a fresh signal to its 
murderers. He was thrilled with compassion for 
the sufferings of dumb creation, as he rose and 
pursued his way. . . . Reminiscences still kept 
pace with his footsteps. 

Now it was his school-days that came vividly back 
to him — the time when the old Pastor Gotz had 
undertaken his education, and the white parsonage 
among the nut-bushes became his second home. 
No more vagabond roamings now, for the grey- 
bearded, fiery -tempered old parson was a stern 
disciplinarian, and kept his pupils in good order. 
There were ten or twelve of them — boys and girls 
together; — children of the well-to-do farmer class. 
He had, of course, never associated with the children 


26 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

of the peasantry, who were allowed to run wild and 
grow up like young cattle. This was not to be 
wondered at, considering the village schoolmaster, 
an ex-valet of his father’s, superannuated through 
drink, spent most of the time that should have been 
engaged in teaching the young idea how to shoot, in 
the various taverns of the neighbourhood. 

Felix Merckel, son of the village innkeeper, was 
the one of his comrades he remembered best — a 
strapping, unruly lad, who, at the age of ten, wore 
top-boots and carried a gun, and whose tendency to 
bully kept the whole school in subjection. Even 
Boleslav himself, though two years younger, and 
of a retiring nature that had little in common with 
the elder boy’s somewhat bumptious temperament, 
was much influenced by him. Yet his position as 
the squire’s son was never lost sight of, and Felix 
joined with his other schoolfellows in paying him a 
sort of sly homage in deference to it. Felix was his 
mentor in all boyish accomplishments. He taught 
him to swim, to row, to snare birds, to make fire- 
works, to shoot rabbits, and even to plunder the 
poor peasants’ garden during church time on Sun- 
day evenings. And though the fruit in his own 
garden, which he was at liberty to pick whenever 
he liked, was a thousand times sweeter and more 
luscious than the hard, sour stuff he clambered after 
at the risk of breaking his neck, he could not with- 
stand the allurements of those secret raids. After- 
wards he was often seized with remorse on account 
of them, and was so heartily ashamed of himseh 


THL SINS OF THE FATHERS 27 

that he would pay back in the morning a hundred- 
fold what he had stolen over-night. Such acts of 
reparation, nevertheless, were only received with 
scowls or smiles of malice, for the unfortunate 
canaille were compelled by benighted feudal laws 
to plough and delve on his father’s estates, and were 
sorely oppressed ; therefore it was only natural that 
the boy should reap to the full the harvest of bitter 
hate sown by the father. 

Of his other companions, especially of the girls, 
he had nothing but the haziest recollection. There 
was, of course, one exception. Her bright image 
had floated before him, through all the pain and 
heartache that had gradually darkened his whole 
existence, pain which even the fascinations of war 
could not alleviate. It was her image, that like a 
lodestar had led him into the thickest of the fight, 
and had not faded from him as he lay wounded, 
and, as he believed, dying. 

Intense longing for her had become identified with 
that vague yearning after happiness which still 
sometimes possessed him, just as if his chances of 
happiness had not, by his father’s misdeeds, been 
irretrievably ruined. 

How this love had sprung up in his breast and 
grown apace, becoming stronger every day, till at 
last the whole world seemed filled with its reflec- 
tion, he hardly knew himself. 

As a child, the pastor’s small daughter had always 
been distant in her manner. The fresh, neat, fairy- 
h‘ke little creature never could be coaxed by any of 


28 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

them into jumping a ditch, even if the bottom was 
dry, and was very particular at hide-and-seek not 
to allow her frocks to be caught hold of lest ** the 
gathers should go.” Now and then, when they were 
alone together, Helene would show off with pride the 
glories of her doll's house, and point out that the 
tiny towels had hemmed edges and a monogram. 
They would be getting quite confidential till, in an 
outburst of boyish spirits, he was sure to do some- 
thing rough or clumsy which brought down on his 
head a gentle rebuke, and he was reminded of the 
limitations of their friendship. Hurt and ashamed, 
he would afterwards try to keep out of her way, 
but a smile of forgiveness never failed to bring him 
to her feet, for there was a kind of sovereignty in 
her little person that was not to be resisted. 

Felix resented her power. He called her affected 
and a mollycoddle, and teased her as only he could 
tease. She, on her part, had an aggravating trick 
of turning up her nose and appearing to look down 
on him, though he was a good head taller, which 
goaded him into tormenting her the more, and ended 
in her running to her father, and with streaming 
eyes begging that Felix might be punished. 

At twelve years old, Boleslav left his birthplace. 
Some relations on his mother's side, belonging to 
the old Prussian official nobility, proposed to con- 
tinue his education. His father had every reason 
to congratulate himself at getting rid of him. The 
life he had led since his wife died was scarcely 
of a character to bear the scrutiny of innocent, 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 29 

questioning, childish eyes. The Baron was in the 
habit of bringing back to the castle from his visits 
to the capital curious company, chiefly women, and 
many a half-opened bud, indigenous to the soil, had 
I fallen an unwilling victim to his unbridled lust, 
t Not that he carried on his intrigues openly and 
unashamed. It was simply that in his private life 
I he refused to recognise the restraint of any moral 
law, and, after all, what he did was only, for the 
; most part, what his fathers had done before him. 
Such amours were a part of the traditions of his 
house, and were not likely to excite surprise or 
; comment, unless it were from the boy, who had 
! occasionally been an involuntary witness of assaults 
on virtue and heartrending appeals for mercy. 

There were many other transactions besides 
i these going on at the castle that were not meant 
for his eyes. When the great Napoleon^s call to 
arms roused that miserable cat’s-paw of European 
ambitions, the lacerated country of Poland, from its 
death-throes, mysterious movements were set on 
I foot in every quarter where the peculiar hiss of 
Polish speech was heard, and even extended so 
far as the unadulterated German regions of East 
Prussia. 

Foreigners with slim, supple figures, and sharply- 
cut features used to arrive at Schranden Castle, 
driving through the village at express speed in 
small carriages, and leave again in the middle of 
the night. The post brought innumerable sealed 
packages bearing the Russian post-mark ; and for 


30 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

weeks together the Baron’s study was locked against 
all intruders. He himself became taciturn and 
pre-occupied, going about like a man in a dream, 
actually permitting the stripes and weals on the 
backs of his serfs to heal and fade away. 

It was at this time that Boleslav migrated to his 
relations in Konigsberg. Afterwards, years passed 
calmly away, years in which he grew in stature and 
developed in mind under the watchful care of the 
widow of a former chancellor, who stood in the 
place of a mother to him. All the leading families 
in the town opened their houses to him, and by 
degrees the old familiar scenes and faces of his 
home became little more than shadowy memories. 
His father’s rare and hurried visits only demon- 
strated how estranged he had become from his son, 
and how little love was lost between them. 

Then came that terrible winter in which the war- 
fury was let loose, devastating the old Prussian 
provinces, and the victorious march of Napoleonic 
cohorts resounded between the Weichsel and the 
Memel. Scores of provincial fugitives sought 
refuge from the invaders within the walls of 
Konigsberg. Every house, from cellar to garret, 
was crammed with human beings, and in the 
streets smouldered the bivouac-fires of the soldiers 
who were camping out in the open air. 

In the midst of war’s alarms, to the accompani- 
ment of beating of drums and bugle-blasts, it was 
vouchsafed to Boleslav to dream for the first time 
‘Move’s young dream.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 31 

He had lately turned sixteen, and his upper lip 
was already shaded with a pencilled line of down. 
He knew Horace’s odes to Chloe and Lydia by 
heart, and the passion which Schiller, who had 
recently died, had cherished for his Laura was no 
longer a mystery to him. One January evening 
on his way home from the gymnasium, as he 
crossed the castle square where Russian and 
Prussian orderlies were galloping hither and thither, 
he caught a glimpse of a pair of blue eyes which 
seemed turned on him with an expression of 
friendly inquiry. He blushed, but when he ven- 
tured to look round the eyes had vanished. The 
same thing happened again the next evening. Not 
till it happened a third time could he summon 
sufficient courage to watch more carefully and 
discover that the eyes belonged to a fair young 
face, which could boast besides a straight little 
nose, delicately curved lips, which naively smiled 
at him. The face reminded him of an old altar- 
piece in the cathedral representing the Virgin Mary 
standing in a garden of stiff white lilies and short- 
stalked crimson roses. Of something else it re- 
minded him too, and it puzzled him to think what. 
He was racking his brains to remember, when a 
rosy glow tinged the girl’s fair cheeks, and the 
charming lips opened. 

Boleslav I ” they lisped. ** Is it you ? 

Now, of course, he knew. 

Helene, Helene ! You / ” he exclaimed joyously. 

Had she not bashfully evaded him, he would have 


32 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

embraced her then and there in the middle of 
the crowded square, regardless of spectators in 
the shape of giggling servant-maids and ribald 
soldiers. They withdrew into a more secluded 
street, and she told him that on the advance of 
the enemy her father had sent her for the sake 
of safety to board with an old aunt, who had set 
up an institution for the daughters of poor clergy- 
men. Here she was very happy, and was making 
the most of her time, studying French and music, 
for she hoped that in the future she might render 
her father assistance with his school, for it was 
not likely she would ever marry. 

All this she related in a quiet, old-fashioned way, 
which excited his respectful admiration, casting 
smiling side-long glances at him as she talked. 
Of his father she could not tell him much ; the last 
time she had met him he had looked very fierce. 
It was some time since she had had any news from 
home, because the French were quartered there; 
but Felix Merckel was in Konigsberg, and she saw 
him now and then. He was apprenticed to a 
corn merchant, and thought himself quite the fine 
gentleman. He wasn’t likely to come to any good 
though, for he smoked cigars and wore loud Turkish 
neckties. She ended by giving him leave to call 
on her at her aunt’s on Friday — Friday being the 
day for visitors at the institution. 

Then she tripped lightly away, swaying her 
slender limbs from side to side, and as he watched 
her, he felt as if the Virgin in the altar-piece had 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 33 

graciously condescended to appear to him in the 
flesh, and was now returning to her lilies and 
crimson roses. 

On Friday he pulled the bell of the institution 
and was admitted. He did not find her, it is true, 
among lilies and roses, but there were some plants 
of fuchsia and geranium in the room, whose faded, 
dusty leaves made a pretty background to the 
girlish figure. The glow of the winter sunset came 
through the diamond-pane windows, and spread a 
rosy veil over her face. Perhaps, too, the pleasure 
I of meeting an old friend made her blush a little. 

I The aunt, a toothless, antique spinster, with patches 
and a powdered toupde, exhausted herself with 
I curtseying and compliments, and after regaling the 
distinguished visitor with chocolate, in a bowl of 
superb old English china, vanished as noiselessly 
as if the earth had swallowed her up. That was 
the first of a succession of blissful, beatific 
Fridays. 

Troops went forth to battle and returned, but he 
' did not even notice them. The thunder of cannons 
I at Eylau reverberated through the town, but he was 
deaf, and heard nothing. It often seemed to him, 
as he looked up at the sky, that he must be lying 
far down in the depths of the blue sea, and that 
the world in which he had lived before was some- 
where a long way off on the other side of the 
azure empyrean. But that he still in reality be- 
longed to that world, he was forcibly reminded 
one Sunday afternoon, when the door of his attic- 

C 


34 the sins of the FATHERS 

chamber, where he was dreaming over his books, was 
boisterously flung open, and his heaven invaded. 

** Hurrah ! my boy I ” cried the intruder, with 
outstretched arms. I’ve been looking for you 
everywhere for a year past, and it’s been as diffi- 
cult as searching for a needle in a bottle of hay. 
Even now I mightn’t have tracked you out if that 
pious little girl Helene had not given me a hint 
of your whereabouts.” 

It was the harum-scarum Felix, and the Turkish 
necktie of which the beloved had spoken, flapped 
over either shoulder in aggressive fly-away ends. 

Boleslav returned the greeting more heartily than 
a few weeks ago he would have thought possible; 
since his meeting with Helene, the old home and 
the old life had come back to him very distinctly, 
and his heart felt drawn to this once inseparable 
friend of his boyhood. 

Felix did not stand on ceremony, but threw him- 
self on the sofa, and as he stretched his legs on 
the leather cushions looked round him in amazed 
admiration. The room seemed to him the embodi- 
ment of luxury and magnificence. 

‘‘You are domiciled here like a prince in the 
* Arabian Nights,’” he exclaimed; that’s what 
comes of being born a Junker ^ I suppose. I wish 
I was. Such as we have to rough it, and ” 

He paused in order to shoot through his front 
teeth a stream of dark-brown saliva, a habit he 
had learnt from the sailors on the quays. After 
this, he frequently visited Boleslav’s sequestered 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 35 

retreat, devoured the dainties his aunt sent up to 
him, borrowed money and books, and initiated him 
in the mysteries of life at the water’s edge. In 
short, he conducted himself as do most ^‘men of 
the world ” between fifteen and nineteen years of 
age, who aie apt to gain an ascendency over deeper 
and more thoughtful natures than their own. 

Boleslav sometimes thought of making him his 
confidant in his love affair, but never, when it came 
to the point, could find the right words in which 
to express himself. So his secret remained, as he 
thought, buried in his heart of hearts. But one 
day Felix astounded him by saying — 

1 “ Don’t think I am blind ! I have discovered 

some time ago that you are head over heels in love 
with a certain little prude. She’s pretty enough, 
but a bit too good for me.” 

The blood mounted swiftly and angrily to Bole- 
slav’s brow, and he demanded with dignity that 
henceforth no disrespectful word be spoken of the 
fair Helene in his presence. And Felix, though he 
made a- contemptuous grimace, was careful not to 
offend again by any jibing allusion to his love. 

Later he announced his intention of enlisting 
in the English navy as a midshipman, that he might 
be “ revenged on the tyrant of his downtrodden 
Fatherland,” as he expressed it, and Boleslav looked 
up to him in consequence with a profounder rever- 
ence than ever. 

Then a day came when this friend passed him in 
the street without bestowing on him a shake of the 


36 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

hand, or even a nod. Only a scornful shrug of the 
shoulders indicated that he had seen him at all. 
Utterly disconcerted, he gazed after the rapidly 
disappearing figure that seemed anxious to get 
out of his way as quickly as possible. 

What could be the meaning of this extraordinary 
behaviour ? The same evening, with tears pouring 
down his face, he wrote asking for an explanation. 
Before there was time for an answer, a messenger 
brought him a parcel of books and a note that ran 
as follows : — 

** To His Hochgeboren Herrn 

Boleslav von Schranden, 

Having become apprised of events that have 
recently taken place in Schranden, I consider that 
it would be beneath my dignity, and contrary to all 
my patriotic principles, to continue our intercourse. 
The books you have lent me are therefore returned. 
The money will follow in due course as soon as I 
have earned the same. Meanwhile the messenger 
will hand you five silver groschens. — In humble 
submission, your Hochgeboren’s obedient servant, 

Felix Merckel.” 

Boleslav felt as if some one had struck him a blow 
from behind. He was so bitterly humiliated that 
for a whole day he daren’t look any human being 
in the face. At last he resolved to tell Helene of 
his trouble, in the hope that she might be able to 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 37 

give him tidings that would at least end his fearful 
suspense. She had forbidden him to speak to her 
in the street, because she considered such meetings 
out of doors unnecessary and improper, as he was 
allowed to call at the institution. Yet, in spite of 
her veto, he waylaid her and showed her Felix’s 
letter. As usual, she smiled sweetly and consolingly, 
but could throw little light on the matter. The last 
time she had heard from her father, the letter had 
! been full of nothing but the unfortunate engagement 
which had taken place in the wood near Schranden, 
when the Prussian soldiers had been completely 
routed. That had been in all the newspapers. 
There was only one means of learning the whole 
truth. Helfene could walk along by the river’s 
bank, where the clerks from the great warehouses 
lounged away their spare time, and make inquiries 
of Felix. This she consented to do, though reluc- 
tantly ; and he, in a fever of anxiety, waited for her 
return on one of the bridges. 

“He does think too much of himself! ” she said, 
as she came back slowly from her errand, the colour 
deepening in her cheeks. “And so they all do, 
these merchants’ clerks. It’s not likely that I should 
allow any of them to make love to me ! ” 

She smiled, and hid her burning face in the blue 
silk reticule she always carried. 

“ But you needn’t mind him, dear Boleslav. Since 
he has determined to go as a midshipman, he has 
got love for the Fatherland on the brain.” 

“ How have I interfered with his love for the 


38 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Fatherland ? ” asked Boleslav. Don^t I abominate 
that bloodhound Bonaparte as much as he does ? ” 
Helene was silent, and gathered the folds of her 
cloak closer about her slender limbs, to keep out the 
bitter winter wind. Then she continued — 

^‘You may rely on me. I will never bear a 
grudge against you for it.” 

For what ? Good God, tell me at once I ” 

And then at last the mystery was cleared up. 
‘^You mustn’t take it too much to heart, dearest 
Boleslav. At home in the village they all say that 
your father showed the French the path by the 
Cats’ Bridge in the middle of the night, so that 
they might surprise the Prussians ; and that gipsy- 
looking Regina, the carpenter’s daughter — you re- 
member the little curly -headed thing who was at 
school with you and me — she confessed it, because 
it was she who really led the way. And now the 
people call your father the betrayer of his country, 
and refuse to work for him any more, and have 
burnt down his house.” 

Ah ! so that was it. Now he knew all. In 
that hour his life’s budding joys and hopes were 
withered like the blossoms of a tree struck by 
lightning in May. How intolerable were these 
memories of darkest hours of silent torture — hours 
in which he was oppressed with a sense of crime, 
and when shame literally consumed him ! 

It was some time before the news of the betrayal 
was openly spoken about in Konigsberg. Months 
passed before the first signs that it had become 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 39 

known manifested themselves, and during these 
months his whole character underwent a complete 
change. 

His glance became shifty and uneasy, his colour 
often forsook him. Shy and awkward he withdrew 
himself more and more from society, and frequented 
none of his old haunts. He would start and tremble 
at every word unexpectedly addressed to him. Then 
came days when the masters at the gymnasium began 
to look askance at him, and the pupils to shun him 
— days in which his aunt kept her room to escape 
his morning greeting, and the family sat in conclave 
behind closed doors, when the servants began to set 
his orders at defiance, and from time to time spat on 
the ground as they passed his door. 

So he watched it creeping on, nearer and nearer, 
the cold, clammy monster, that, snake-like, was to 
bind his limbs and freeze the blood in his veins. 
He watched its wriggling progress, heard the 
gloating hiss of its approach, and defenceless, 
paralysed, he stared it stonily in the face, lacking 
the courage to cry out, or even to moan. 

He had lost Helene too. Not through any fault 
of hers. She had still allowed him to go on pulling 
the institution bell on Fridays as if nothing had hap- 
pened, and had been friendly as ever, and had even 
tried to distract his thoughts from the painful subject 
on which they incessantly brooded, with mild little 
jokes. But was it because he was himself so altered 
that he could only see the rest of the world through 
a distorting mist of shame, or had she really, since 


40 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

that day of the revelation, adopted a tone of pitying 
compassion towards him ? Anyhow, he became 
more and more embarrassed in her presence, and 
dared not meet her eye. 

One day, instead of Helene, the old schoolmistress 
received him alone. She curtseyed and grinned as 
usual, and assured him, a hundred times at least, 
that she was his humblest servant; but what she 
proceeded to unfold seemed to Boleslav the last 
straw. Her dear nephew, the Herr Pastor ^ she 
stuttered, thought it best that the intimacy between 
his daughter and the young nobleman should ter- 
minate, and in order that there should be no further 
temptation to continue it, had decided to remove 
her instantly from the town of Konigsberg. A note 
sealed with blue sealing-wax contained Helene’s 
farewell : — 

Dear, dear Boleslav, — My father commands 
me to give up my friendship with you. I must obey 
him. Good-bye. I shall always be fond of you — 
— always. I swear it. Your 

‘‘Helene.” 

Six hastily scribbled lines ! Were these to be 
his food and drink through a life of longing and 
renunciation ? Yet had he any right to expect 
more? Had she not promised to be true, and to 
hold to him though every one else had cast him off? 
From that time forward she became for him trans- 
figured and a saint. Her face became more than 
ever identified in his imagination with that of the 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 41 

Madonna he had seen in the Cathedral, and when- 
ever he pictured her he beheld her adorned with an 
aureole, and surrounded by lilies and roses. 

Had it not been for his extreme youth, energy 
i and self-reliance might possibly have helped him 
I over the abyss of enervating grief; but a habit of 
I childlike respect, a latent instinct of veneration, 
put the idea of asking his father to explain what 
had happened, much less of calling him to account 
! for it, out of the question. It was his unexpected 
appearance on the scene that at last roused in him 
: a spirit of revolt. 

He was now seventeen, and would have been 
I ready to pass into the university, even if the authori- 
ties of the gymnasium had not repeatedly hinted 
that his withdrawal would be in every way desir- 
able. Even his kindly aunt, who had carefully 
avoided referring to the rumour through which she 
herself suffered keenly, had, as mercifully as she 
knew how, spoken to him about the advisability of 
his going somewhere else to finish his studies. 

Under other circumstances, his pride, his zeal for 
fair play and his own honour, would have rebelled 
against this unjust dismissal. But now, in his un- 
speakable bitterness, he cherished only one wish, and 
that was to hide away somewhere with his disgrace, 
and be seen by no human eye. 

And in this mood he stood one day face to face 
with his father. 

The baron had come to town, to call in the aid of 
the law in dealing with his rebellious peasants, but 


42 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


had found every door shut in his face. His fury 
knew no bounds; he appeared to have lost all con- 
trol over himself, and his demeanour was one of 
desperate defiance. 

At the sight of the short, stubborn figure, the 
bull-neck and the grey, fiery eyes rolling in their red 
sockets, Boleslav was seized with the old boyish ter- 
ror. He had to pull himself together with a tre- 
mendous effort before he could bring the fatal ques- 
tion over his lips. 

“Father, is it true what people are saying, 
that 

Suspicion blazed up in the small grey eyes. 

“Eh ? — what are people saying ?” he interrupted. 

“That it was through you that the French found 
out the path by the Cats’ Bridge.” 

“And what if it was through me, you Hottentot? 
What if I did avenge the wrongs of the down- 
trampled Pole on this pack of cowardly Russian 
thieves? These hulking, stupid, lazy serfs, who 
would only get their deserts if the great Napoleon 
extirpated them altogether from off the face of the 
earth. Don’t gape at me like that, clown ! What I 
did was done as a sacred duty. Heavily chained, 
scourged human beings cried out imploringly to me, 
‘Save us, save us!’ I could not save them, it is 
true ; that work was reserved for a greater than I — 
but I could at least help, help him, who like an 
avenging angel swept over Europe and laid it waste 
— help to annihilate a handful of ruffians I saw 
providentially delivered into my hand.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 43 

As he held forth thus, his short figure seemed 
i to grow. His eyes flashed fire. The demon of 
fanaticism that so strongly resembles inspiration, 
its angelic sister, enveloped him in its red-hot, 
glowing mantle. 

Boleslav shrank away, trembling. He felt keenly, 
how completely every tie between him and this man 
I was now severed. 

‘‘Let them whisper, and nudge each other as I 
i pass," he continued, “and make faces; what the 
! devil do I care ? They daren’t do it so long as the 
Corsican lion held them in his claws. And after 
ail, who is to prove it against me ? If it hadn’t 
I been for that fool Regina, who let her father hunt 
, her down in the Bockshorn, every one would natu- 
i ’•ally have supposed that General Latour, with his 
: inventive brain, had found out the way over the 
river and through the wood of his own accord. As 
it is, the wretches are all at my throat. . , . The 
peasants are no longer to be brought to heel with 
the knout. They’ve always been so fond of me, 
you see. If what the papers say is true, and the 
king is willing to let the mutiny continue, they’ll 
lynch me, as sure as fate. You will have good 
cause to congratulate yourself on your succession, 
my boy ! ’’ 

Those were the last words his father had ever 
spoken to him, for the conversation which had taken 
place in his own study, was interrupted at this point 
by the entrance of his aunt. 

The aristocratic old lady recoiled from the touch 


44 the sins of the FATHERS 

of the Baron’s red muscular hand as from that oi 
some poisonous reptile. But mastering her repug- 
nance, she asked for a few minutes’ private talk with 
him. 

What decision they came to over his future he 
was never to know, for even before the short inter- 
view had elapsed, his former life already lay behind 
him like a nightmare, and he stood in the street and 
reflected through which of the city-gates he should 
wander out into the wide world. Finally, the goal 
of his travels proved to be a small property in a 
remote corner of Lithuania, where he found rest in 
hard work, and an opportunity of fitting himself 
for the duties of a landed proprietor. 

Years went by. For him they meant unremitting 
labour for his daily bread — a struggle for existence 
♦full of hardships, which, however, could be engaged 
in without shame, or any wounding of his amour 
propre. For now he no longer bore the abhorred 
name of. his fathers. If at the same time he only 
could have cast off, like a soiled garment, the host 
of bitter recollections with which it was associated, 
he would have been happier. But consciousness of 
the infamy that clung to the discarded name re- 
mained ever present. Love for his country, which 
hitherto had only slumbered in his heart, now 
bounded into full life. The passion of patriotism 
grew and grew, till it became a tormenting demon 
which scourged him with scorpions, drove the blood 
from his face, the sleep from his eyes, and heaped 
the guilt of Prussia’s misfortunes on his shoulders. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 45 

Only once during this time did news of his home 
reach him. That was when he read in a Konigs- 
I berg news-sheet that Schranden Castle, which had 
I enjoyed such an unenviable notoriety in the winter 
i of 1807, had been burned down with all its outlying 
I buildings. Then he had folded his hands, and a 
/ sound had escaped his lips like a prayer of thanks- 
; giving. 

Expiation ! expiation ! must be the watchword of 
I his soul. 

But as yet nothing could be expiated. Still 
i the unhappy Fatherland lay crushed beneath the 
heel of the dictator. Then came the downfall of 
I the Great Army on the snow-covered plains of 
Eastern Europe, and the rising of Prussia quickly 
!| followed. 

t Now the hour had come. His hour ! He would, 
I die — give his life for the Fatherland, and expiate 
I his father's sin with his own blood 
I In the volunteer Jager Baumgart, who rode into 
j Konigsberg on the 5 th of March 1813, no one recog- 
1 nised the youthful Baron von Schranden, who, just 
five years before, had fled from the town unable to 
face the dishonour brought upon his name ; and 
there were many now hailing him with shouts and 
I cheers of welcome, who then would have driven 
him out with stones and brickbats. 

He attached himself to a cluster of intrepid sons 
of the soil, from whose mouths the dialect of his 
lost home fell familiarly and musically on his ear. 
He became their friend and their leader, till suddenly 


46 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

a well-known face cropped up in the camp, the sight 
of which immediately drove Lieutenant Baumgart 
out of it. 

Felix Merckel, he knew too well, would not have 
hesitated to betray him to his comrades, and to in- 
form them who it was that led them to battle. 

What followed was like a ghastly confused phan- 
tasmagoria, in which bloodshed, salvoes, and death- 
rattles played their part. Why had he not died ? 
How had he lived through it? These were the 
questions he asked himself on first regaining con- 
sciousness and opening his eyes on the world, after 
lying for months between life and death. For him, 
then, no French sabre had been sharpened, no 
French bullet fired. 

The one complete atonement his conscience told 
him it was in his power to make had been denied 
him. Was a heavier one awaiting him now, as he 
drew near the dusky woodlands of his birthplace 
in the dim, grey dawn of day ? 


CHAPTER IV 


It was eight o^clock in the morning, and already the 
rays of the sun had strengthened, as Boleslav left 
, the wild tangle of the forest behind him, and beheld 
his home stretched out at his feet. , 

He had not set eyes on it for ten years. His 
first fierce impulse now was to shake his fist at the 
j village which lay there so hypocritically idyllic in 
1 the calm of early morning, with its white toy cot- 
j tages set in bowers of green bushes, its curls ot 
I blue-grey smoke, and opalescent slate church spire 
I rising peacefully against the sky. 

Beyond were the magnificent groups of old trees 
with dark, almost black foliage and yellowish trunks 
belonging to the Castle park, which sloped away on 
the eastern side of the hill. But the Castle itself, 
that had crowned the hill with its shining battle- 
mented twin-towers, and had queened the landscape 
far and wide — where was it ? Had the earth opened 
and swallowed the imposing structure wIk le ? For 
a moment he was startled and shocked at its total 
disappearance. Then he remembered. How stupid 
it was to have forgotten ! They had burnt it down, 
razed it to the ground. 

Many and many a tim_e he had thought of that 

47 


48 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

deed of violence, which had laid waste the inherit- 
ance of his fathers, with a sort of grim satisfaction. 
But now, when he saw with his bodily eyes the 
scene of the conflagration, he felt sullen resentment 
rise in his heart. 

** Incendiaries ! Accursed incendiaries ! ” he cried, 
and once more shook his fist at the homesteads of 
his enemies. Hzs enemies? Yes, in the flash of 
a moment it seemed clearly demonstrated that his 
father’s enemies must be his enemies. Had he not 
inherited them, together with these woods and fertile 
valleys, with yonder smoked, blackened heap of 
ruins (he now noticed it for the first time) that 
reared itself like the mighty hand of a giant calling 
down the wrath of Heaven — together with that 
awful crime, which no one on earth hated more 
than he did, from which no one had suffered as he 
had suffered. . . . And though, instead of filial love, 
he had cherished nothing but a sensation of paralys- 
ing fear towards his father, though for years he had 
deliberately cut himself adrift from ties of kindred, 
and the performance of duties that custom and 
civilisation impose on those who are destined to 
hand down an ancient name and inherit vast estates 
— in spite of it all, the fact remained that it was his 
father’s blood flowing in his veins, and he felt it 
at this moment coursing through them tumultuously, 
and rising in hot anger at the wrong that had been 
done his race. 

A wild gleam shone in his eyes as he fumbled 
with his left hand for the leather case strung over 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 49 

his shoulder, from which obtruded the burnished 
knobs of a pair of cavalry pistols. 

“ Won^t bury him ! ” he murmured through his 
clenched teeth, clasping the pistols close. ''Won’t 
bury him, indeed ! We shall see ! ” And with a 
bitter, mirthless laugh, he walked resolutely down 
into the village. 

The one long straggling street lay before him, 
deserted and basking in the brilliant sunshine. 
The cart-ruts in the rich clay soil shone as if they 
had been glazed; bottle-glass and rags from old 
besoms filled the interstices to prevent the accu- 
mulation of stones. On either side of the road stood 
the thatched cottages of the peasants, shaded by 
limes and chestnuts, some of whose leaves were 
even now beginning to look autumnally sere and 
yellow. These peasants had formerly been under 
the jurisdiction of the Castle, and only since the 
I; new rural laws came into force had been relieved 
i of their service and joined the freemen. 

Here and there he saw a new fence painted in 
glaring colours, as if the owner wished to mark off 
: his recently acquired possession from the rest of 
: the inhabited globe. In other respects the new 
it regime had left everything much the same. Sun- 
i flowers and herbs bloomed in the front gardens as 
i they had always done; damp mattresses hung out 
I of the windows to air just as of old. Only the 
number of taverns had increased. Boleslav counted 
three, whereas once the Black Eagle had reigned 
supreme and met all the requirements of the place. 

D 


50 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Nearer the church were the white houses of the 
free artisans, burghers as they were called, who 
paid to the Castle ground-rent, and therefore en- 
joyed the privilege of cultivating their own vegetable 
plots as they pleased. There were a couple of 
blacksmiths with the sign of a horseshoe over the 
entrance of their forges, two or three cobblers, a 
wheelwright, a basketmaker, and a 

He paused and let his eyes rest on a dilapidated 
tumble-down hovel, the most wretched in the whole 
row. A dirty green shield hung over the door, bear- 
ing the almost obliterated inscription — 

“HANS HACKELBERG, 

CARPENTER AND PARISH UNDERTAKER/’ 

A coffin, also painted green, supported by pillars, 
loomed down on the neglected garden, and gave to 
those who couldn’t read, the necessary information. 
At the sight of it an incident long forgotten occurred 
to Boleslav with extraordinary distinctness. He 
saw again a little untidy girl with great, dark, tear- 
ful eyes and a tangled cloud of black, curly hair 
flying about her face and shoulders in wild dishevel- 
ment. She had clung to this garden gate with one 
hand, while with the other she held the corner of 
her blue print pinafore convulsively pressed against 
her bosom. A pack of village hobbledehoys were 
pelting her with sticks and stones. He was not 
much taller than she was, but at his approach the 
little crowd made way for him, shy and awestruck. 


, 

I 

! THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 51 

I For he was the “ young Junker^' who had only to 
I lift his finger, they thought, to bring down blessings 
I or curses on their heads. 

What is going on here ? ” he had asked, where- 
upon the persecuted child had humbly advanced, 
and opened her pinafore just wide enough for him to 
get a glimpse inside. 

’ Beasts! They wanted to take it away from 
j me I she had exclaimed, lifting her wet eyes to 
his, blazing with indignation. 

A poor unfledged sparrow, which somehow or other 
had fallen out of the nest, reposed in the pinafore. 

Give it to me,” he had demanded, for he loved 
young birds; and obediently she had held out her 
pinafore for him to snatch it away. As beseemed 
a lordling, he had not said thank you, or troubled 
himself further about the giver. 

And that was she — the girl who, it was said, had 
shown the French the path by the Cats^ Bridge, and 
had lived with his father as his mistress to the last. 

Why had he defended her then? Why had he 
prevented the pack hunting her down ? One blow 
on the forehead from a stone might then and there 
have cut short her mischievous career ! 

He walked on. Now and then a dull, dirty face 
peered at him curiously through the small, dark 
window-panes, or a cur barked. But he passed 
unmolested through the village. It was unlikely 
enough that any one would recognise him. The 
parsonage came in view with its shady veranda, 
trim flower-beds, and nut-trees. It looked as quiet 


52 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

and peaceful as on that morning long ago, when, J 
with a sigh of relief at escaping from the pastor’s j 
stern rule, he had seen it for the last time from the | 
post-chaise, and Helene had waved him farewell 
with her little cambric handkerchief. With lower- I 
ing brow he now took a short cut that he might | 
avoid passing it. It seemed as if Helene must still j 
be standing on the lawn waving her handkerchief. 1 
But what if she had been there? It would have ; 
been impossible for him to go to her. A path on j 
his left led down to the river, which divided the j 
Castle domain from the villagers’ territory. As he | 
turned into it he became aware of the frightful | 
ravages the fire had made. Instead of the long line j 
of barns and stables which had been ranged on this 
side of the river stood a row of ruins, falling walls 
and scorched beams, grown over with celandine and 
valerian. Beyond could be seen, through gaps in 
the walls, the courtyard, now a weedy, grass-grown 
rubbish heap, and on the summit of the hill, behind 
a lattice formed of the leafless branches of dead 
elms, a black ruined mass of fantastically jagged 
brickwork — all that remained of the once proud 
Castle. 

His arms fell heavily to his sides. A sound 
escaped him like a sob, a sob for vengeance. 

He dragged his way laboriously along the banks 
of the river to the drawbridge, which was the main 
mode of access to the island ; for, since his grand- 
father’s time, the whole of the Castle grounds had 
been, by means of an aqueduct, practically con- 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 53 

verted into an island. The drawbridge, at least, 
was still en evidence. It looked like a remnant of 
antiquity as it hung with its grey projecting timbers 
on its black, clumsy buttresses, at the foot of which 
the ripples broke with a gurgling sound. The rusty 
chains were tightened, and between terra firma 
and the floating edge of the bridge was a space of 
about three feet, which could be jumped with ease. 
Some one had evidently tried to draw it up, and 
failed in the effort. 

Boleslav sprang over and passed through the 
stone gateway, whose nail-studded doors, half- 
burnt, were thrown back on their hinges. Sud- 
denly he heard a sharp clicking sound at his feet 
resembling the snap of a bowstring. He stopped, 
and saw, to his horror, the iron semicircle of a 
fox-trap half-buried in the rubbish, and carefully 
covered with birch- broom. The long pointed teeth 
of the iron jaw had closed on each other in a 
tenacious grip. By a miracle he had escaped an 
accident which might have laid him up for many 
weeks. 

Feeling the ground with his stick, he pursued 
his way more cautiously through the refuse and 
litter, amongst which he came across occasionally 
a disused waggon or the rotten barrel of a brandy 
cask held together by iron hoops. He went on, up 
the hill to the Castle. The path was overgrown 
with brambles as tall as himself, and again he came 
on traps, their wide open maws greedily eager to 
seize him by the leg. The whole place seemed 


54 the sins of the FATHERS 

strewn with them — the only signs of civilisation 
he had as yet encountered. 

The Castle lay before him, with yawning window- 
frames and sundered walls, a complete ruin. Piles 
of fallen tiles and plaster, between which rank grass 
and weeds had sprung up, formed a mound round 
its foundations. The vestibule, with its drooping 
rafters, had become a perfect bower of creepers 
and evergreens, whose luxuriant growth seemed 
almost impenetrable. A white tablet hung among 
the leaves, on which, in his father’s handwriting, 
were the words, ** Caution to trespassers.^^ 

He shuddered at this, the first trace he had seen 
for six years of the man to whom he owed his 
existence, and whom he had now come to bury. 

In a few moments he would be standing probably 
beside his corpse. 

But how was he to find it? What resting- 
place could his father have found here while yet 
alive ? 

No door or unbroken window, no signs of a 
human habitation, were visible amidst all this fearful 
wreckage. He turned, and walked slowly the length 
of the Castle facade, past the towers which flanked 
the gabled roof; here over the blackened stone- 
work the ivy had begun to grow afresh, enshrouding 
it in a peaceful melancholy. From this point his 
eye caught a vista of the park, with its giant timber 
and wealth of undergrowth. And then he saw a 
few yards off, on the grass-plot where once had 
stood the statue of the goddess Diana, of which 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 55 

nothing now was left but the shattered fragments and 
pedestal, a woman. ... A slender, strongly-built 
woman, with long plaits of dark curling hair hang- 
ing down her back. Her primitive costume consisted 
of a red petticoat and a chemise. She was digging 
energetically with a heavy spade in the dark rich 
soil, and was apparently too engrossed to notice his 
approach. She set her naked foot at regular inter- 
vals, as if beating time on the hard edge of the spade, 
and with the slightest possible pressure drove it 
deep into the earth. As she dug she sang a song 
on two notes, a high and a low, which welled out of 
her full breast like the sound of a sweet-toned bell. 
The chemise, a coarse and roughly made garment, 
had slipped off her shoulders, laying bare the strong, 
magnificently moulded neck. When he addressed 
her, she drew herself erect with a sudden movement 
of surprise and alarm, and stood before him half 
naked. 

She turned on him a pair of lustrous, large dark 
eyes. ^^What do you want here?” she asked, 
grasping the spade tighter, as if intending to use it 
as a weapon of defence. Then lifting her other 
arm she calmly raised the chemise over her shapely 
bosom. 

What do you want ? ” she repeated. 

Still he did not answer. ^^So this is she,” he 

was thinking, the traitress, the courtesan, who 

Should he point his pistol at her, and drive hei 
instantly from the island, so that the ground he 
trod on might at least be clean ? ” 


56 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Meanwhile his bearing seemed to have convinced 
her of the peacefulness of his intentions. 

^^This is no place for. strangers,” she went on. 
“Go away again at once. You are lucky not to 
have been caught in a wolfs trap.” 

She stood, drawn to her full height, and waved 
him off. Then gradually she became confused, 
under his searching glance, and regarded him ner- 
vously out of the corners of her eyes. Tossing 
back the black tangle of hair from her sunburnt 
cheeks, she began to fidget with her inadequate 
garment, seeming conscious for the first time of her 
half-nude condition. 

“ Show me his corpse ! ” he asked imperatively. 

She started and stared at him for a moment 
with astonished, questioning eyes, then threw her- 
self weeping at his feet. 

^^Gnadiger Herr!^^ she murmured, in a voice 
stifled with emotion. 

He felt her fingers seeking his hand, and pushed 
her violently from him. 

“ Show me his corpse I ” he commanded again, 
“ and then you may go.” 

She rose slowly, kicked the spade away with her 
foot, and led the way down to the park. As they 
neared some bushes she turned round and said 
timidly, “ There’s a trap here.” He stepped quickly 
to one side, otherwise he would have walked straight 
into the snare. She held back the brambles of the 
thicket through which they were making their way, 
to prevent the thorns scratching his face. They 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 57 

came to a clearing in the wood where stood a small 
one-storied cottage with a tall chimney, surrounded 
by broken hot-house frames and lime heaps. It 
was the gardener's house, in which as a boy he had 
often played with flower-pots, seeds, and bulbs ; the 
one solitary building the ravages of the fire had left 
untouched, because the incendiary had been unable 
to find his way to it. 

Again his guide warned him. “ Take care ! That 
is dangerous,” she said, pointing to a heap of earth 
like a mole-hill. Whoever steps on it is a dead 
man,” she added half to herself. He knelt down, 
and with his hands dug out the bomb that lay con- 
cealed in the soft earth, and hurled it with all his 
might far away, so that it exploded with a loud 
report against the trunk of a tree. She cast a shy, 
half-scandalised glance at him over her shoulder, for 
to her what he had done was an act of desecration. 

Then she opened the door, and he found himself 
in a dark passage. The cottage had only two rooms. 
The one on the left of the front-door had been the 
gardener's dwelling-room, the other his workshop. 

From the former, the door of which stood ajar, 
issued a powerful death odour. 

He went in. A body veiled in white lay on a low 
bier in the middle of the close, gloomy little room. 

** Leave me,” he said, without looking round, and 
he threw back the cloth. 

His father's rigid features, covered with bristles, 
stared up at him. The eyes had sunk far back in 
his head ; the brows were contracted. In tlae hoi- 


58 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

lows of his cheeks bushy black hair had sprouted, 
while the beard had turned partially grey. The 
short, thick nose had shrunk, and close to the 
firmly-shut lips that had not parted in death lay 
a deep line, denoting intense suffering, and, at the 
same time, defiant scorn ; as Boleslav looked down 
on it, the line seemed to deepen still more, and at 
last to quiver and play round the mouth that was 
still for ever. 

He dropped on his knees, and, with folded hands, 
prayed a paternoster. His tears fell fast, and 
rained heavily on the waxen face of the dead man. 

Your guilt is my guilt," he whispered hoarsely. 
^Hf I don’t defend your memory, who else will? 
No one in all the world." 

Then he covered up the body again with the 
white cloth, for flies were swarming round it. As 
he turned away, he observed the girl’s dark head 
pressed against the foot of the bier. Her sym- 
metrical neck and shoulders shone out in relief 
from the shadowy background. 

^*What are you doing here?" he demanded 
rougfily. She crouched down, shivering, and raised 
her left shoulder, as if to ward off a threatened 
blow. Her eyes flashed a warm ray through the 
masses of her curly hair. 

No one has ever driven me away from him 
before," she murmured. 

‘^But / drive you away," he answered with 
decision. 

She rose and quietly vanished. He tore open a 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS $9 

t window, for he felt half suffocated, and then took 
a survey of the apartment. It was small and 
wretched enough, and was filled up without any 
attempt at arrangement with the most inappro- 
; priate and heterogeneous assortment of furniture, 

1 most of it evidently rescued in haste from the 
fire ; a gold-legged table harmonised ill with rickety 
kitchen chairs ; a peasant's canopied bed stood near 
gorgeous consoles of inlaid marble, and a cracked 
Venetian mirror hung beside a bullfinch's simple 
wicker cage. But nothing looked more out of its 
element than the life-size portrait of the beautiful 
Pole, his grandmother, and the original cause of all 
the evil that had befallen him. Her haughty, arro- 
gant eye still pierced the distance triumphantly ; the 
small gloved hand still grasped the flexible riding- 
whip. Kneel, slave," the full proud lips seemed 
to say. Only the diamond pin which used to glitter 
in her bosom like a star was gone, for just there the 
colour had warped, and the grey canvas beneath was 
exposed to view. The once elegant and artistically 
carved frame representing a garland of gilded roses 
and cupids had suffered too, being chipped and 
cracked in various places, where patches of coarse 
orange paint had been daubed on to repair the 
damage. 

** Probably he took every care to save that first," 
thought Boleslav, and had not the presence of his 
father's corpse restrained him, he would have 
pulled it down from the wall, and trampled it 
under foot. 


6o THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

A case containing arms stood in a corner. The 
newest and most costly of shooting weapons were 
ranged there, including every variety of pistol, 
sword, and spear. Above it was unrolled a plan 
of the Castle island, showing the spots where in- 
geniously contrived man- traps, mines, and spring- 
guns awaited the trespasser — roughly calculated, 
there were over a hundred of them. 

Boleslav shuddered. Surely this unhappy man 
had been punished enough for his misdeeds in the 
life he had been compelled to lead during his last 
few years on earth ! Caged up like a hunted wild 
beast, his murderous contrivances were a perpetual 
source of menace to himself, for to have forgotten 
for a moment the position of one of his death-traps 
must have instantly proved fatal. 

When Boleslav went out at the door he stumbled 
over Regina, who was cowering on the threshold. 
She started to her feet with a low cry of pain, like 
the whine of a trodden-on dog. He felt a momentary 
thrill of compassion for her, but it vanished before 
he had spoken the kind words that involuntarily 
rose to his lips. 

**What were you lying there for?” he inquired 
harshly. 

It’s my place,” she answered, always regarding 
him with the same humble, luminous glance. 

Indeed ? It's a dog’s place as a rule.” 

It’s mine too.” 

“Your name is Regina Hackelberg?” 

** Yes, £-ndd'£-er Junker, 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 6i 


** It was you who led the French over the Cats’ 
Bridge ? ” 

‘‘Yes, gndcTger Junker^ 

“ Why did you do it ? ” 

“ Because I was told to do it.'* 

“ Who told you ? ” 

She cast down her eyes. 

“ Why don’t you answer ? ” 

“ Because I was forbidden to tell.” 

“ Who forbade you ; my — he ? ” 

“ Yes ; the gndcTger Herr!^ 

“ So that’s what you call him, eh ? ” 

“ Yes, gndd'ger Junker ^ 

“Call me, if you please, Herr^ and not Junker, 
I am not Junker P 

“ Very well, gnddger Herr.'' 

Herr^ I say — simply Herr. Do you under- 
stand ? ” 

“ Yes, gndcTger Herr." 

Himmelkreuxdonnerwetter ! Didn’t I say you 
were to call me Herry without any prefix ? ” 

She trembled nervously at his oath ; but when it 
dawned on her what he meant, a smile of pleasure 
illumined her face. 

“ I see, Herr" she said, and nodded. 

“I shall expect you to tell me everything,” he 
went on. “ Do you hear ? ” 

“The gndd'ger Herr did not wish me to speak 
about it. . . . Not to any one.” 

“ Did he say not to any one ? " 

“Yes.” 


62 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

He bit his lip. Why should he inquire further 
into the matter, when it was all as clear as day- 
light ? This creature had been used as a tool 
because she was stupid, and bad enough to let 
herself be so used. 

** How old were you at the time the French 
came ? 

Again she cast down her eyes. 

** Fifteen, Herr^ 

Once more he felt softened towards her, but 
almost immediately dark suspicion stifled his pity. 

** You were paid for your work ? ” he asked 
between his clenched teeth. 

‘^Yes, HerVy^ she responded calmly. 

He was overwhelmed with disgust 

“ How much was it ? Your bribe ? ” 

I don’t know, Herr^' 

** What ! You mean to say you did not stipulate 
for a certain sum beforehand ? ” 

She seemed unable to comprehend. 

My father took it all away from me,” she 
answered. ** He said it was the wages of sin. It 
was a whole big handful of gold. I know that.” 

He looked at her in amazement. 

The fine head, with its wealth of wild hair cluster- 
ing on her neck, was humbly bent. She appeared 
not to have the slightest perception of the scorn she 
had aroused in him ; or was she so used to it that 
she took his contempt as a matter of course ? 

‘^What were you doing at the Castle when the 
French were quartered there ? ” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 63 

A dark flush suffused her face, neck and bosom. 
He had struck some chord of memory that awakened 
in her a spark of shame. 

*T was helping with the sewing,” she stammered. 

“Why did you come to the Castle ?” 

“My father told me I must. He said I was to 
go up and ask the gndd^ger Herr if there was any 
sewing for me to do. I was to earn my bread some- 
how, he said.” 

“Oh, indeed !” There was a pause, then he con- 
tinued: “Go and put on a jacket, Regina.” 

She passed her hand over her bosom and drew 
her linen garment tighter round her chest, till the 
string cut into the swelling flesh. 

“Well, why don't you go ?” 

“I haven't got a jacket.” 

“What ! Didn't he clothe you ?” 

“They tore my jacket off my back yesterday.” 
“Who?” 

A gleam of burning hate flashed from her eyes. 

“Who? Why, they — the people down there, of 
course,” and she spat in the direction of the village. 

A feeling of mingled surprise and satisfaction 
arose within him, for here was a being who could 
share his hatred ; some one whom fate was to asso- 
ciate with him in the coming struggle with the 
villagers below. 

“So the people down there are your foes'?” Ke 
said. 

She laughed jeeringly. 

“I should just think they were. They throw: 


64 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

stones at me whenever they get the chance — stones 
as big as this." She joined the hollows of her 
hands together to show the size. 

For how long have they thrown stones at you 

** It must be six years,” she said after a moment^s 
calculation. 

And how often have they hit you ? ” 

Oh, lots of times. Look here ! ” and she let the 
chemise slip down again, to display a scar extending 
from her shoulder to the root of her bosom, which 
marked the warm olive skin with a thin line of 
scarlet. 

But now I always take the tub with me.” 

‘'The tub?” 

“Yes; the wash-tub. I hold it over my head 
and neck when they come after me.” 

What a wretched existence was hers — worse 
than a dog's ! 

“ Why have you gone on staying here when they 
treat you thus?” he asked. “There are other 
places in the world.” 

She gazed at him in astonishment, as if she did 
not grasp his meaning. 

“ But I belong here,” she said. 

“You might at least have left the island, and 
betaken yourself somewhere where your life would 
not always be in danger.” 

She gave a short laugh. 

“Was I to leave /ttm to starve?” she asked; 
and then, growing suddenly red, she added, correct- 
ing herself shyly, “ I mean the gndd'ger Herr'' 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 65 

He nodded to reassure her, for she looked as if 
she expected to be chastised on the spot for her slip 
of speech, poor miserable creature ! 

“ I don’t go down there oftener than I can help. 
Generally I go over the Cats’ Bridge by night to 
Bockeldorf, three miles away. There, at Bockel- 
dorf, I could get flour and meat, and everything 
else that he — the gnddiger Herr — wanted, if I paid 
double the price for it, and be back by the morning. 
But sometimes it’s impossible to get there — in a 
snow-storm, for instance, or a flood. So when the 
weather was very bad I was obliged to go down to 
the village, and had to pay still more money there, 
and even then perhaps get nothing but blows. So ” 
— she laughed a wild, almost cunning laugh — 
just took what came handy.” 

That means — ^you thieved ? ” 

She gaily nodded assent, as if the achievement was 
deserving of special praise. 

She was so depraved, then, this strange, savage 
girl, that she was quite incapable of distinguishing 
the difference between right and wrong ! 

And what were you doing in the village yester- 
day ? ” he questioned anew. 

Yesterday ? Well, you see, he must be buried. 
It’s time, Herry quite time. And I thought to my- 
self, however much I cry, that won’t get him under 
the earth.” 

** So you cried, did you ? ” he asked contemptu- 
ously. 

** Yes,” she replied. ** Was it wrong ? ” 


B * 


66 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


Well, never mind : go on.” 

*'And so I took the tub and went down to the 
pastor's. But the pastor said I mustn’t contaminate 
his house by coming near it, so on I went to land- 
lord Merckel, who is mayor as you know, Herr, 
And there the soldiers saw me ” 

** What soldiers ? ” 

** The soldiers who have just come from the war.” 
She paused again. 

Go on I ” he commanded. 

**And the soldiers cried out ‘Down with her — 
strike her down ! ’ and then the chase began, and my 
father joined in and called out ‘ Down with her I ’ too, 
but he was only drunk, as he nearly always is. . . . 
The stones flew about, and the women and children 
caught hold of me and held me fast, that they might 
strike me; but I had the tub and held it with 
both hands high over their heads, hacking with it 
right and left like this.” She illustrated her story 
by holding up her rounded muscular arms in the 
air, and bringing them down again like a pair of 
clubs. 

The tall, magnificent figure before him, reminded 
him of some antique statue in bronze. Strange, that 
in spite of all the degradation and vileness amidst 
which she had been reared, it should have blossomed 
into such fulness of triumphant splendour. There 
was something classic, too, in the mere unaffected 
freedom with which she exposed its charms. But 
of course in reality she was nothing but a shameless 
hussy, long since lost to all sense of decency. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 67 

" Perhaps you have got a shawl, if not a jacket,” 
he suggested, turning his back. 

Yes, I have a shawl, a woollen one.” 

Then put it on at once.” 

She disappeared silently through the door before 
which they had been standing, and after a few 
moments returned in a brilliant red tippet which 
she had crossed over her breast and tied in a knot 
behind. Now that she had awakened to the fact that 
her half-clothed condition shocked him, she began 
to be ashamed of even her naked arms, which she 
had no means of concealing. She kept them folded 
behind her back, and crept into the darkest comer 
of the passage. 

'‘Did they refuse to bury the gnddiger Herr?'' 
he demanded. 

“No — no — one said anything,” she answered, 
“ because I never asked.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I couldn’t for the stones that were 
hurled at me. And then I thought it was no good. 
Nobody would ever come and fetch him. I might 
as well shovel him in myself, as best I could.” 

“ You proposed to do it ! Without help ? " 

“ If I could carry him from the Cats’ Bridge into 
the house without help, I ought to be able to bury 
him too.” 

“ Where — in the churchyard ? ” 

“ The churchyard ? Ha ! ha ! That would have 
been a pretty piece of business. I should never 
have got him through the village and been alive 


68 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


afterwards to tell the tale. It was in the garden, 
over by the Castle. I was in the middle of digging 
the grave when the Herr arrived.” 

Now he felt strongly inclined to praise her. 
Such canine fidelity, unquestioning, unhesitating, 
touched him deeply. Did not the girl who had 
faced death readily a thousand times for her 
master’s sake, deserve some sort of reward ? Yes. 
He would repay her in coin ; good hard cash would 
doubtless be more acceptable than anything else, 
poor thing ! And, directly he had laid his father 
in his last resting - place, he would dismiss her 
from his service. Till then she might stay where 
she was. 

But, at all costs, his father’s bones must lie with 
those of his ancestors. His first duty, his bounden 
duty as a son, was to procure for him a decent 
burial, such as was granted to every Christian 
human being. No matter what difficulties might 
stand in the way, he determined to accomplish the 
sacred task, even if he were driven to resort to 
extreme measures, and call in the aid of the law. 
He knew at least one magistrate in Prussia, a 
relative of his mother’s, who would take his side, 
and enforce justice with an armed contingent if the 
worst came to the worst. 

He was just in the act of walking off in the 
direction of the village, when it occurred to him 
that it was impossible to take a hundred steps on 
his own property without being snared into a 
hundred de*ath - traps. Without the woman he 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 69 

detested to guide him, he was as helpless as a 
child. 

“ Lead me to the drawbridge,” he said ; ** and 
while I am gone clear away all the traps.” 

Yes, Herrr 

But she remained motionless, as if rooted to the 
spot. 

“ What are you waiting for ? ” 

** I beg the Hertzs pardon, but he has been travel- 
ling all night, and I thought ” 

What did you think ? ” 

“ That the Herr must be very tired, and hungry 
perhaps; and ” 

She was right He could hardly stand from 
sheer exhaustion. But the idea of taking even a 
crust from her hands filled him with loathing. 
Rather would he be fed by his enemies. 


CHAPTER V 


Meanwhile in the Black Eagle a group of 
Schrandeners, burghers and burghers* sons, were 
enjoying their morning pint together. The Schran- 
deners, who had always thought the ideal of a happy 
life was to spend as much time as possible in the 
tavern, were now at liberty to indulge their taste 
from morning to night. What work they did 
must have been accomplished very early in the 
day, judging by the hour at which they began their 
recreation. 

Young Merckel presided at their carousals. He 
had grown up into a fine, broad-shouldered young 
fellow, with a cavalry moustache aggressively curled 
up at the ends, which suited his cast of counte- 
nance, and a manner, that even in bouts of clownish 
dissipation retained a certain swaggering bonhomie. 
At the conclusion of the war, instead of getting his 
discharge, he had come home on leave, to consider 
at his ease whether or not it would be advisable to 
attach himself to a standing army. His profession 
was not likely to interfere with his decision one way 
or the other, as practically he had none. 

Till his twenty-fourth year he had been employed 
in seeing life” in different parts of the world at 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 71 

his father’s expense, and had hailed with joy the 
outbreak of war as a legitimate outlet for his energy, 
which otherwise might have been turned into un- 
worthy channels. 

Like Baumgart he had entered the army as a 
volunteer Jager; like him had passed into the 
militia and had been promoted to the rank of lieu- 
tenant, but unlike him, he wore as a recognition of 
his bravery the iron cross dangling on his proudly 
swelling breast. For the time being, he had no 
intention of leaving his birthplace again, where he 
was perfectly content to be regarded in the light of 
a hero and a lion. 

He drank, blustered, and helped to fan the flame 
of hate against the traitor, hate which since the 
return of the victorious soldiers had blazed up more 
fiercely than ever. At his instigation the Schran- 
deners had gone forth to destroy the Cats’ Bridge in 
order to cut the baron off, on his island. That he 
would be struck dead before their very eyes none in 
their boldest dreams had dared to hope, and with- 
out having achieved their mission they had hurried 
back to the village to proclaim the glad tidings. 

It was a foregone conclusion that the man who 
had betrayed his country would be refused Christian 
burial. This would put the crown on their work of 
vengeance. They gloried in reflecting on it. The 
mayor was on their side ; the parson appeared to 
shut his eyes to what was going on; and there was 
no reason to be afraid of the interference of higher 
authority. 


72 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

That a champion of the dead would arise at the 
eleventh hour was the last thing any one expected. 

For the Junker — God alone knew what had 
become of the Junker — had he not totally dis- 
appeared, probably to die of shame in a distant 
land ? . . . 

There’s some one coming, wearing a Landwehr 
cap,” said Felix Merckel, looking out through a 
crack in the blinds on to the market-place, which lay 
glaring and dusty in the heat of the mid-day sun. 

The sounds of revelry subsided, in expectation of 
the advent of a stranger. Felix Merckel stretched 
out his legs and began to toy indifferently with his 
medal. 

The door swung back. The new-comer brought 
a momentary stream of sunlight into the cool, 
darkened room. Without a word of greeting he 
walked to the buffet, behind which a barmaid sat 
knitting a stocking, and inquired if he could speak 
a few words with the mayor. The mayor was not 
at home ; he had just gone out into the fields, the 
barmaid told him. 

Herr Merckel was fond of leaving the inn in 
charge of his son, for he found the beer disappeared 
twice as fast from the barrels when he was not 
present. Felix adopted a method of stimulating 
customers to drink, which would not have been 
becoming in the host. He couched his invitations 
in military slang and in figures of speech learnt in 
the camp ; to resist them would, the Schrandeners 
held, be casting a slight on their lieutenant, so it 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 73 

followed that Felix was the means of adding treasure 
to his father’s exchequer. 

He was piqued at the stranger in the Landwehr 
cap not vouchsafing him a salute, although he must 
have seen the officer’s badge on his coat, and deter- 
mined to ignore him. 

“Can I wait here till the mayor comes back?” 
the stranger asked. 

“ Of course. This is the tap-room,” the barmaid 
replied. 

He took a seat in the farthest corner from the 
topers, with his back turned to them, put down his 
knapsack, and bowed his head in his hands. 

Herr Felix regarded such conduct as a kind of 
challenge to himself. Like the true son of his 
father, he was indignant at a stranger coming in 
and ordering nothing to drink. 

“Ask the gentleman, Amalie, what he will take,” 
he called out, bursting with a sense of his own im- 
portance. Apparently the stranger didn’t hear, for 
he took no notice. The barmaid stood behind his 
chair and stammered something about the excellent 
quality of Schrandener beer. 

“ Thank you ; I will drink nothing,” he replied, 
without looking up. 

Herr Felix twisted with vigour the ends of his 
moustache. It was clear that a rebuke must be 
administered to the stranger for his churlish be- 
haviour. He therefore rose to his feet, and swing- 
ing his tankard, began in a somewhat blatant tone 
to address his boon-companions. 


74 the sins of the FATHERS 

** Dear comrades and fellow-burghers and every 
one present, Prussia's glorious battles have been 
fought. Our beloved Fatherland has risen from 
the dust in new and unsuspected splendour. Most 
of us have bled on the field of glory, and felt the 
enemy's bullets pierce our breast. Whoever is a 
true Prussian patriot will now drink with me his 
country's health and honour ! " 

With high-pitched hurrahs, the mugs with one 
accord were lifted to the revellers' mouths, but 
before they could drink, an incisive Halt ! " from 
the lieutenant stopped them. 

** I see there is some one here," he cried, who 
seems inclined to shirk this sacred duty;" and he 
rose and walked with clanking spurs across the 
room to the stranger’s table. 

** Sir,” he asked aggressively, ** do I understand 
you don't wish to drink to Prussia's fame and 
glory ? ” 

** I wish to be left in peace,” answered the 
stranger, not turning round. 

** What, sir ? You who wear the honourable 
symbol of a defender of your country in your cap, 
decline ” 

A sudden movement on the part of the stranger, 
who grasped his pistols, made him break off. The 
next moment he saw firearms gleam in his hand, 
saw him spring up, and stood aghast, staring into 
a pale, overcast face that he knew well, but from 
which two such angry eyes had never blazed at 
him before. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 75 

He understood the situation at once; he stood 
face to face with a man desperately resolved to go 
to any extremity if necessary. 

** Look at me, Felix Merckel,” said the stranger, 
who was stranger no longer, ** and learn that I wish 
to have nothing to say to you. But understand 
that if you or any of your friends come too near, 
they will rue it. The first who approaches within 
an inch of me I will shoot down like a dog.” 

Felix Merckel quickly regained his composure. 

Ah ! the Herr Baron ! ” he exclaimed, with a 
profound bow. ^'Now I am not surprised that 
Prussia's ” 

The click of the double trigger of the cavalry 
pistol made him stop short again. 

** I warn you once more, Felix Merckel. I am 
an officer as well as yourself.” 

And the reiterated warning had its effect 

** Certainly, it is not my concern,” Felix said, and 
with another low bow, went back to his place ; this 
time the clatter of his spurs was scarcely audible. 

The Schrandeners put their heads together and 
whispered, and then old Merckel entered the room. 
His round, sleek, clean-shaven face beamed with 
prosperity and self-satisfaction. As beseemed the 
village patriarch, he passed by the common drink- 
ing-table with a dignified gait. A heavy silver 
watch-chain hung on his greasy satin waistcoat, 
suspended from a gold keeper in the form of a 
Moor's head, to which was also attached an amber 
heart 


76 THE SINS Ol THE FATHERS 

** The Herr wished to speak to me ? " he asked, 
with a profound obeisance, which, however, he 
seemed to repent, when his little grey lynx eyes 
remarked that the stranger had no glass before 
him. To be obsequious to a non-drinker was a 
waste of time. 

The Schrandeners kept their ears open. Felix 
had jumped up as if to seize this favourable oppor- 
tunity of going for his whilom friend with his fists. 

I say, father, it’s the young Herr Baron” he 
exclaimed, with a discordant laugh. 

Old Merckel withdrew a few steps. His bene- 
volent smile died on his lips ; his fleshy fingers 
fumbled nervously with the Moor’s-head keeper. 

** Can I speak to you alone ? ” 

Oh ! Herr Baron — of course, Herr Baron — is 
the Herr Baron going to stay ? ” 

He flung wide a side door, which opened into the 
little best parlour reserved for gentry. A sofa, 
covered with slippery oil-cloth, and a few velvet, 
bulky arm-chairs, were ready for the reception of 
distinguished customers. Over a cabinet containing 
tobacco hung a placard with the inscription, *^Only 
wine drunk here.” 

Before the host closed the door behind Boleslav, 
he made a reassuring sign to his fellow-burghers 
as if to allay their anxiety. Then from under his 
drooping lids he took a rapid survey of the newly- 
returned young aristocrat’s person, which seemed to 
fill him with satisfaction, for again his smug, slimy 
smile played about his fat lips. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 8i 


quiet — Frdulein Regina will assist you — then make 
the turf perfectly smooth, so that no one will know 
where you've laid him, and before the dawn of 
another day ride away again with Frdulein Regina 
on your saddle to where ” 

He paused suddenly, for Boleslav’s hand was on 
the butt -end of his pistols. Then the devilish 
mockery beneath this suave old hypocrite's counsel 
was goading him into drastic measures. While he 
listened to it, a new thought had flashed across his 
brain with vivid distinctness. The funeral would 
after all only be the first step in the work that 
it was incumbent on him to complete. Never 
would he slink away under cover of night like a 
criminal, and abandon what remained of the inherit- 
ance of his ancestors to utter ruin. No ! he would 
stay and endure all things. Set at defiance all 
these malicious hyenas, the worst of whom stood 
before him, now grinning, with greedily gleaming 
eyes, only awaiting his opportunity to pounce on 
the masterless unowned possessions. 

Endure ! Endure ! 

Renunciation for the sins of the fathers must ever 
be his lot. And did not the foul act that had laid 
waste his property deserve retributive justice ? He 
would be a deserter and renegade, indeed, were he 
now to turn his back on his native place, and on the 
beloved, who, though she seemed lost to him eter- 
nally, might still be cherishing timid hopes of meet- 
ing him once more. No! for the future his flag 
should wave over the ruins of Schranden Castle, 

F 


82 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

with the single word Revenge ” blazoned on it 
in fiery characters. And who but a cowardly cur 
would leave his flag in the lurch ? 

He stepped nearer the mayor, and with a threat- 
ening glance that seemed to penetrate him through 
and through, almost roared in his ear — 

** Who set fire to the Castle ? ” 

Herr Merckel winced as if his conscience pricked 
him. Every Schrandener did the same when any 
question arose as to who it was had perpetrated 
the crime. Every Schrandener except one, and he 
was the criminal himself. 

Herr Merckel was gathering up his strength for 
a glib answer when the suppressed murmur in the 
tap-room gave place to a sound which had a louder 
and more riotous note in it. 

The landlord made a movement in the direction 
of the door, to bolt it on coming events, but before 
he could take the precaution it was stormed and 
burst open. A troop of wild-looking creatures led 
the assault, at the head of whom was a man of 
puny stature, in rags and tatters, with straight, 
black hair hanging in oiled ringlets to his shoulders, 
a grey, stubbly beard, and a pair of glassy, besotted 
eyes that rolled under red, lashless lids. He beat 
the air with his fists and cried — 

“ Where is the fellow — the brute ? Let me catch 
the brute and I’ll strangle him ! ” 

Then he beheld Boleslav’s tall, resolute form, 
and swallowed his words with a gurgling hiss. 
Behind him was a phalanx of angry, heated, in- 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 83 

quisitive faces all turned on Boleslav as on a 
recently captured beast of prey. 

“ Every man’s hand is against me ! ” he thought, 
and his blood rose. 

Are you the carpenter Hackelberg ? ” he asked, 
holding the drunkard in thrall with his searching 
glance. 

He was associated with one of the dark memories 
of his childhood. Once his pitiable howls had 
frightened him out of his quiet, boyish slumbers, 
and on looking from his window he had seen him 
being whipped round the courtyard for poaching. 
Now he stood shaking his fists, grunting and 
spluttering with rage. 

^^You supply the village with coffins, I under- 
stand ? ” 

The carpenter shook his head, stared vacantly in 
front of him, and then answered in a sepulchral 
voice — 

** I am at work on only two coffins — one for 
myself, and one for my poor erring daughter.” 

The Schrandeners laughed in their sleeve. This 
formula was so familiar. When any one died in 
the village the carpenter had to be fetched by 
force, locked up with a bottle of brandy and the 
necessary boards, and not let out till the coffir 
was finished. Taken all in all, this Hackelberg 
was a dangerous fellow, and no one knew it bettei 
than the Schrandeners, who never let him om 
of their sight for long. He was watched aa? 
shadowed, and many an arm was ready to stnte 


84 the sins of the FATHERS 

him down when the right moment should offer 
itself. 

Nevertheless they courted his society in the 
tavern, made him drunk, and humoured him. 
Sometimes they hung on his lips, at others, stopped 
his mouth. Either they put him under lock and 
key, or allowed him to bully them. It was as if 
they had endowed their own bad conscience with 
flesh and blood, and allowed it to run wild amongst 
them in the shape of this unkempt, half-crazed sot. 

‘‘Who else makes coffins in the village besides 
you ? ” Boleslav asked again. 

The Schrandeners burst into jeering laughter. 
They knew how difficult he would find it to get 
any direct answer to his question. 

“ My poor, wretched child,” he growled, fastening 
his glassy eyes on Herr Merckel's amber heart, 
which appeared to possess a fascination for him. 
Then suddenly rousing himself once more from 
the half-stupor into which he had collapsed, he 
threatened Boleslav with his fists, and cried out 
excitedly — 

“ What do you want from me, Herr ? A coffin ? 
Is that what you want ? For whom do you want 
it? For the scamp, the dog, who betrayed his 
country — who seduced my child ? Do you think 
I'd make a coffin for Aim? Look at me, Herr, 
Did you ever see such a spectacle ? ” He wrenched 
open his shirt, and exposed to view his shaggy 
breast. “I’m a beauty — mere offal, that dogs 
would turn up their noses at And whose fault is 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 85 

that, my dear young nobleman? Why, the Herr 
Baron* Sy your deceased father's. He it was who 
reduced me to this, and made me an unhappy, 
forsaken, childless old man, such as you see.” He 
wiped his eyes with the ragged sleeve of his cor- 
duroy jacket, while the Schrandeners applauded, 
and backed him up in his maudlin oration. ^^My 
child, my only child, was torn from my bosom. He 
robbed me of my child ” 

I believe you yourself sent her to the Castle,” 
Boleslav interposed, without, however, making the 
least impression. 

He made my child a prostitute, but what’s worse, 
young sir — what most lacerates my father’s heart — 
for though I’m a blackguard. I’m a patriot; for in 
Prussia even blackguards love their country — if 
there are any blackguard Prussians . . . but my child 
... ah ! do you know what he did with my child ? 

. . . forced her with the lash to go out in the dark 

night and But since then do you think I’d 

own her ? No . . . she is my child no longer. I’ve 
cursed her — cast her off! I said to her, ^ You are 
my own flesh and blood no longer.’ That’s what I 
said, and ” 

“ But you took the wage of her sin all the same,” 
Boleslav was on the point of interrupting, but 
recollected in time that in saying so he would be 
admitting his father’s guilt to this pack of wolves. 

And you are free,’ I said. ^ You may go where 
you like, and whoever you meet may kill you 
outright for all I care. Go to your gnadigen 


86 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Herm^ I said, *and ask him to protect you/ I 
said ” 

At this juncture the shouts of the other Schran- 
deners became so much louder that they drowned 
the carpenter’s speech. They closed round him, 
and he was lost in the crowd; only his rasping 
laugh was still audible. 

“ What did I prophesy, Herr Baron ? ” asked old 
Merckel, with his unctuous smile. 

Boleslav leant against the end of the sofa, and 
regarded the crew of Schrandeners pressing ever 
nearer with clenched teeth and unflinching eye. 

If one strikes me,” he thought to himself, the 
rest will tear me to pieces.'' 

He felt how imperative it was to remain calm. 

Come, you people,” he said, making a passage 
through their ranks with his hands, ” let me pass.” 

And whether it was his commanding air of cool 
determination, or the cross which shone in his 
military cap, that awed the tumultuous throng, not 
one of them attempted to impede his progress. He 
passed into the thick of the mob, expecting every 
moment to be struck a fatal blow from behind; 
but nothing of the sort happened — unchallenged he 
found himself in the open air. Felix Merckel had 
kept in the background. 

The whole mob, now including women and chil- 
dren, surged after him down the road. 

As he reached the parsonage garden, whose white 
walls blazed in the rays of the mid-day sun, he was 
aware of an aching sensation at his heart, that rose 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 87 

in a lump to his throat. His last hope rested in 
the hands of the old pastor. Would he too spurn 
him from his threshold ? But at this moment that 
was not his only anxiety. How could he help feeling 
anxious as to what her reception of him would be, 
she in whose power it was to exalt him from the 
mire of shame and misery into a world of peace and 
purity. If she saw him in his present condition, 
dirty and dishevelled, with this escort of hooting 
ruffians behind him, would she not recoil in horror ? 

And she did. 

A terrified hand threw back the glass door of the 
veranda. It was she — it must be she! For a 
moment he saw the glimmer of a white, slender 
figure ; saw her raise an arm, as if to wave off the 
approach of him and the mob : and then, before 
Boleslav could give one questioning, imploring look 
at the beloved features, she vanished with a faint 
cry of alarm. 

There was a mist before his eyes. Half stunned, 
he went up the steps of the veranda, closed the 
door behind him, and awaited the next turn in the 
course of events. 

The Schrandeners blockaded the veranda, and 
some flattened their noses against the glass in 
order to see better what passed within. A pane 
fell out ; one of them had pushed his neighbour 
through it, whereupon the revered voice of the 
old pastor was heard raised in remonstrance. He 
appeared on the veranda flourishing a thick, 
notched walking-stick. His white hair blew about 


88 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


his lofty temples. The nostrils of his hawk-like 
nose dilated furiously as if they snorted battle. 
Beneath the snow-white shaggy projecting brows 
his eyes glowed like fiery torches. Such was the 
venerable Pastor Gotz, who, in the March of the 
year 1813, had gone from house to house, holding 
the big cross from the altar in his hand, followed 
by a drummer, and had beaten up recruits for the 
holy war. And had he not been left fainting by the 
roadside on the march to Konigsberg, in all pro- 
bability he would have accompanied his soldier- 
parishioners into the field of action. 

The Schrandeners stood in no little dread of his 
discipline, and no sooner did they catch sight of 
his formidable stick than they retreated quickly 
from the windows, and tried to regain the garden 
gate. 

^‘You hell-hounds, craven sheep!” he shouted 
from the glass door. ^‘Come to God’s house on 
Sunday and I’ll give you a dressing.” 

Then turning on Boleslav, he measured him from 
head to foot with a scowling glance. His eye 
rested on the military cap he held in his hand. 

** You were in the campaign ? ” he asked. 

‘‘Yes.” 

“ If it were not for the cross I see on the brim 
of your cap, I should ask was it for or against 
Prussia ? ” 

Boleslav, whose thoughts had followed the fleet- 
ing vision of light he had seen on the veranda, 
at first did not understand him ; then he met the 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 89 

insinuation with signs of passionate resentment. 
But the old pastor was not the man to be easily 
intimidated, and while they both glowered at each 
other, he cried — 

Boleslav von Schranden, am I, or am I not, 
justified in cherishing such a suspicion ? ** 

Then Boleslav’s eyes fell before the condemnation 
in those of his former master. He opened the door 
of his study, where between the book-shelves hung 
pipe-racks and fire-arms, and said — 

Out of respect for the cap I will not refuse you 
entrance here. But make what you have to say as 
brief as possible. In this house no Schranden is 
a welcome guest.” 

He put his stick in a corner, and drawing his 
flowered dressing-gown close about his loins, paced 
up and down the room. 

Boleslav cast about for words. He felt like a 
criminal in the presence of this man, whose speech 
was like molten brass. Of a truth it was no easy 
matter, this taking the guilt of another on to one’s 
own guiltless shoulders. 

Herr Pastor y' he began, stammering, can’t 
you forget for a moment that I bear the name of 
Schranden ? ” 

The old man laughed bitterly. That’s asking a 
little too much,” he murmured ; *^a little too much.” 

Regard me simply in the light of a son who 
wishes to bury his father, and who is prevented 
from fulfilling that most sacred duty by the wicked- 
ness and malice of the canaille'^ 


90 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

For answer the old parson contracted his shaggy 
brows without speaking. 

** I appeal to you as a priest of the Christian 
Church. Will you suffer such a scandal in your 
parish ? ” 

**Such a thing cannot happen in my parish,” the 
old man declared. ** Wherever it is my duty to 
lead souls to God, every one must be granted a 
decent burial.” 

And yet they dare ” 

** Stop ! Whose burial is in question ! ” 

** My father’s.” 

** The Freiherr Eberhard von Schranden ? ” 

**Yes.” 

** That man has been dead for seven years.” 

Herr Pastor!'' 

*^For seven years he lived ostracised from the 
society of his fellow-creatures. Seven years he 
practically rotted in the earth. Therefore, don’t 
trouble me about him further.” 

Herr Pastor ^ I was once your pupil. From 
your lips I first learnt the name of God. I always 
thought you a brave, upright man. I retract that 
opinion now ; for what you have just been saying 
are lying, cowardly quibbles.” 

The old man drew himself up. His beard worked ; 
his nostrils expanded. With lurid eyes he came 
nearer to Boleslav. 

My son,” he said, do I look like a man who 
would countenance a lie ? ” 

Boleslav maintained his defiant attitude. But, 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 91 

much as he struggled against it, he felt the old, 
long-forgotten sentiment of respect for the school- 
master awaking in him once more. 

My son,” went on the old man, ** a word from 
me, and the rabble that waits for you on the other 
side of that hedge would lynch you , but, as I said 
before, for the sake of the cap you wear, I will be 
merciful. If you like, I can prove that what I said 
just now is no lie.” 

He went to a cupboard, where stood a long line 
of ragged folios, containing church and parish docu- 
ments, took out a volume, and, opening it, pointed 
to a page dated 1807. 

** Here, my son, read this.” 

And Boleslav read — 

‘*On March 5th, died Hans Eberhard von 
Schranden. Ex memoria hominum exstinguaiur” 

Beneath were three crosses. 

** That is a forgery ! ” exclaimed Boleslav. 

** Yes, my son,” the old man answered solemnly, 
** that is a palpable, shameless forgery ; a stain on 
my office; and if you choose to report it to the 
magistrates, I shall be suspended and end my days 
in prison. Do exactly as you think fit. My fate 
lies in your hands.” 

A shudder of mingled horror and reverence passed 
through Boleslav. He had himself experienced too 
often the wild ^lan and reckless delight of making 
sacrifices for the love of his country, no' to under- 
stand what impulse had driven the old clergyman 
to this insane confession. 


92 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

*^With those crosses,” he continued, I buried 
the man seven years ago — the man who, in spite 
of his cruelty and ungovernable passions, had till 
then been my friend. From that day, whoever 
dared to breathe so much as his name in my house 
was sent out of it. Then came that night of arson, 
when these walls were illumined by the reflection 
of the burning Castle. I jumped out of my bed, 
and, throwing myself on my knees, prayed God to 
forgive the incendiaries, for it began to burn at all 
four corners at once, a sure proof that the fire was 
not an accident. Now, I thought, not only the 
deed, but the scene of it, will be erased from men’s 
minds. I didn’t concern myself in the least about 
the spectre that was doomed to haunt the ruins of 
Castle Schranden. And now you come, my son, 
and tell me that that spectre was no spectre, but a 
living creature, who only a few days ago gave up 
the ghost, and now awaits interment. Well, I 
forbid it Christian burial, on the strength of this 
register. I never bury any one twice. Report 
me, and — and I shall be tried for my offence. But 
you know I am prepared. Do as you like. Bury 
the corpse with all the honours you consider due to 
it; have a procession grander and more imposing 
than an emperor’s, but kindly leave me out of the 
show.” 

He settled himself in his green-cushioned arm- 
chair, supported his face with his wrinkled, muscular 
hands, and stared vacantly at the open register. 
There was nothing to hope from this iron-willed 


THE SINS OF THE FAfHERS 93 

man of God. It would be madness to keep up any 
illusion on the subject, and that other illusion, that 
the loved one might still be won on earth after long 
waiting and renunciation, must be abandoned too. 
All the shy dreams and hopes that he had yet dared 
to cherish in his embittered heart now seemed 
finally wrecked. 

So this is the divine grace, the forgiveness of 
sins, you preach I ** he cried, tears of wrath filling 
his eyes. 

The old man rose slowly and let his hand fall 
heavily on Boleslav’s shoulder. 

Because of your cap, my son, I will reason with 
you, although the sight of you is hateful to me. 
Listen ! It is a year and a half now since there 
came here from Russia a rabble of ragged French 
beggars, starving and frost-bitten. The Schran- 
deners would have felled them to the earth with 
their scythes and pitchforks, and perhaps would 
have had right on their side, for they were mere 
carrion-serfs in the pay of Napoleon. But I opened 
the church door to them that they might take refuge 
in the shelter of God’s altar. I kindled a fire for 
them on the flagstones, and had a hot supper cooked 
for them and gave them straw to lie on. I told the 
Schrandeners that, though they were enemies, they 
were human beings like themselves, bearing the 
cross of human suffering as the Saviour once bore 
it on His shoulders. I told them to go home and 
pray that God might spare them as they had spared 
those miserable Frenchmen. So you see I can be 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


94 

pitiful and show mercy. ... To return to the 
subject of the funeral. I have never refused any 
sinner his lawful resting-place. If I could have my 
will, even suicides should not be excluded from the 
churchyard. That those who have been unhappy 
in their lifetime should be comfortable in death has 
always been my principle. And if the body of a 
man who had murdered his mother was brought 
here from the scaffold, I would go to his graveside 
in full canonicals and pray the King of kings ‘to 
forgive him, for he knew not what he did.’ Yes, 
I’ll extend mercy to all, only not to your father. 
For he who sins against his country outrages everj 
law human and divine; he disgraces the mother 
who bore him and the children he propagates. 
Such a one is a social outcast. He is like the leper 
who brings death and corruption with him wher- 
ever he goes, or a mad dog who spurts poison from 
his jaw on every living thing that comes in his way. 
And do you realise the extent of your father’s guilt, 
the mischief it has worked ? It is not so much the 
lives of those two or three hundred Pomeranian 
youths whose bones lie buried there on the common 
that are to be reckoned against him. They would 
probably have met death somewhere, later. The 
grass grows high on their graves ; even their parents 
have long since become reconciled to their loss. 
No, it is not on their account that I bear the grudge. 

But come here, my son ” 

He clutched Boleslav’s hand and led him to the 
window. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 95 

‘'Look out — what do you see on the other side 
of the garden hedge ? A gang of turbulent wild 
animals thirsting for the blood of their prey, and yet 
too craven-hearted to spring on it, even when they 
have it within their reach. And look at me, my son. 
I am here, appointed by God as His minister to 
preach the gospel of love, and I preach hate. Words 
sweet as honey should flow from my lips, and 
instead, scorpions spring out of my mouth directly 
I open it, for I too am become a wild animal. And 
this is what your father’s crime has made us. There 
is no goodness left in Schranden ; the venom of your 
father’s hate ferments in us, is inoculated into our 
children and children’s children. So will it ever be 
till the Lord not only wipes the scene of infamy, 
but your accursed name with it, from off the face of 
His blessed earth. Amen ! ” 

He stood with raised hands like some anathe- 
matising prophet of the CM Testament, and foam 
rested in the corners of his mouth. 

Boleslav, half-dazed and horror-stricken, turned 
in silence to the door. The old man did not call him 
back. As he crossed the hall he started violently, 
for he was sure he heard the rustle of a woman’s 
dress behind a half-opened door. But not for the 
world would he meet her now. Not in this dark 
hour, when he was completely overpowered by a 
sense of having had the remnants of all that was 
good and noble in him shattered and laid in the 
dust. 

“ If they are become wild beasts, I can become 


96 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

one too,” he thought, as he thrust his hand in the 
breast-pocket that held his pistols, and walked 
towards the Schrandeners. The old pastor was 
right. Though they danced, whooped, and jostled 
around him with the lust of murder gleaming in 
their savage eyes, they dared not lay a finger on 
him. 

When he reached the drawbridge, behind the 
palings of which a girl’s figure crouched, awaiting 
his return, he was full of a desperate resolve. His 
father should be carried to his last resting-place by 
an armed force. 

you ready to earn another large sum of 
money t " he asked the girl, who flushed and stood 
up quickly at his approach. 

She looked at him for a moment in reflectiVv** 
surprise, and then, as his meaning dawned on her, 
she shook her head violently. 

Why not ? ” he demanded. 

She began to tremble. ^‘What’s the good of 
money to me, Herr?'' she asked, in subdued, bitter 
tones. ** They would only take it away from me.” 

“Who?” 

“People — those people. Please, oh please, give 
me no money.” 

“ Her mind is clearly unhinged,” thought Boleslav. 

“ Besides, there is money enough,” she continued 
in a whisper, glancing round her timidly, “in the 
cellar — great boxes full — where the wine is. I used 
to take what I wanted from there — for him, I mean — 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 9> 

the gndd'ger Herr, For myself I never want any, 
unless it’s to buy a new jacket with.” 

** Will you earn a new jacket ? ” 

** There’s no need to earn it, Herr, Next time 
I go to Bockeldorf — for the Herr must have food — 
I can get one.” 

So, unreasoning as a beast of burden, she per- 
formed her duties, and expected no return except 
her food I 

Will you, then, without earning anything, go a 
long way for me this very night ? ” 

**Oh, won’t I, Herr, if you wish it ?” 


CHAPTER VI 


The next day the village of Schranden received an 
unexpected visitation that proved no small shock to 
its inhabitants. At about five o’clock in the after- 
noon two coaches appeared in the village street 
each of which contained half-a-dozen occupants^ 
young fellows in Jager uniforms, with their muskets 
slung over their shoulders from wide leather belts. 

In the first c/-»':ch there was also a female occu- 
pant, who, the moment the horses’ heads turned 
in the direction of the space opposite the church, 
alighted with a wild leap, and scudded away towards 
the Castle. 

Every Schrandener recognised in her the deceased 
Baron's sweetheart, but all were too much taken 
aback to think of following her. 

The coaches halted before the Black Eagle, the 
windows of which were eagerly opened, and before 
the strangers had moved from their seats, an en- 
thusiastic welcome was extended to them. 

The Heide boys — Hurrah ! ” shouted Felix 
Merckel, who had many a time fought side by 
side with these comrades of the Sellinthin 
squadron, and he stretched a foaming jug out 
the window 


9 * 


99 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

His father threw open the door of the little room 
reserved for “gentry/^ where only wine was drunk, 
in the hopes that at least some of these wealthy 
yeomen would patronise it. But, without answer- 
ing the warm greetings, they proceeded in gloomy 
silence to unharness the horses, and to take out of 
their vehicles all manner of tools, such as hatchets, 
files, and spades. 

The Schrandeners were astounded. 

‘^Good gracious ! have you lost your tongues 
Felix Merckel called from the window. ‘‘And why 
haven’t you brought your paragon, Lieutenant 
Baumgart, with you?” 

Still no answer. 

The Schrandeners began to think these strangers 
must be playing oif a joke on them, and burst into 
extravagant laughter. 

Then Karl Engelbert, who evidently had the 
command of the expedition, came under the window 
from which Felix’s broad-shouldered form obtruded 
itself, and, greeting him with a half-military salute, 
said — 

“With your permission, Herr Lieutenant, we 
have come here not to take part in any festivities 
or anything of that sort. We are a funeral party.” 

“But here in Schranden no one is going to be 
buried,” cried Felix Merckel, still laughing, but his 
face appreciably lengthened. 

“Indeed, Herr Lieutenant ! Nevertheless, we have 
been invited to a funeral.” 

“Who has invited you ?” 


lOO THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


‘‘Our former officer, Lieutenant Baumgart.” 

“Nonsense ! There’s no Lieutenant Baumgart 
here. I thought you were going to bring him with 
you.’’ 

“Pardon, Herr Lieutenant, he is here already.” 

“Where is the fellow hiding, then ?” 

“Probably you know him better under another 
name — Herr von Schranden.” 

The stone jug in Felix’s hand fell and crashed 
to pieces at Engelbert’s feet. The beer splashed 
his legs up to the knee. 

A tumult arose inside the inn. As if in prepara- 
tion for battle, windows were speedily closed, and 
Johann Radtke, driverKby thirst to ascend the steps 
to the main entrance, found the door banged in his 
face. 

“Hunted from the threshold like tramps !” grum- 
bled the dark-haired Peter Negenthin, and clenched 
his fist in his sling. 

“Do you wish to perjure yourself?” asked Engel- 
bert in a low voice, coming close to him. “If so, 
then go back. What is required of us we must 
do. Whoever forgets the church at Dannigkow is 
a cur !” 

“And if we are dry we must wet our whistles 
with holy water, I suppose,” added Radtke with a 
sigh. 

Engelbert shouldered his musket and gave the 
orders to move on. The procession filed off in the 
direction of the Castle, a handful of natives, out of 
respect for the muskets, bringing up the rear. 


THE SINS OF the FATHERS loi 

Boleslav stood on the bridge to receive his 
friends. 

He rushed towards them in delight, and could 
hardly articulate, for emotion, the words of grati- 
tude that rose to his lips. 

Engelbert held out his hand in silence. Boleslav 
was going to embrace him, but he drew back. In 
his excitement Boleslav did not notice the rebuff. 

‘T knew you'd come,” he stammered forth at last 
— knew that I had friends who would not leave 
me undefended to the tender mercies of this pack 
of wolves.” 

No one made any response. They stood drawn 
up in an unbroken line, their eyes looking beyond 
rather than at him, in embarrassment. Engelbert 
was the first to break the silence. 

“You have summoned us, and we have come — 
but our time is short; tell us what you want us 
to do.” 

For a moment Boleslav wondered at being ad- 
dressed in this curt, somewhat surly fashion, by the 
comrade who, of all others, had been his favourite. 
But it was only for a moment. Why should he 
doubt them? Had they not come? And then, in- 
coherently enough, he related how his father's dis- 
grace had descended on him, and what he had re- 
solved to do, with their help. 

All the time a pair of shining eyes watched him 
from the other side of a rubbish heap, and a 
woman's figure that sat cowering there trembled 
like an aspen. 


102 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


“They are here — they are in the village!’^ she 
had called out to him in timid excitement, as she 
had flown into the yard like a Maenad. At first he 
had not recognised her in a light cotton skirt, a bed- 
jacket buttoned over her panting bosom, and a hand- 
kerchief of many colours on her head, tied under the 
chin, according to a fashion of the peasant girls in 
the neighbourhood. 

“ They gave me these things to put on,” she had 
added apologetically, on observing his puzzled looks. 

And then in pleasure at the news that his friends 
had arrived, he had forgotten her, till, while waiting 
for them on the bridge, he had caught sight of hei 
hovering about the ruins. The head-dress had fallen 
on her neck, and the wild black tresses escaped, and 
waved in confusion about her sunburnt face. She 
seemed to be smiling absently to herself. 

He was ashamed to think his friends had seen 
this woman, and decided to pay her off and dismiss 
her on the spot, so that they should not encounter 
her again. 

“ What are you doing here ? ” he demanded. 

She started. 

“ Nothing, Herr'^ she replied, guiltily lowering 
her eyes. 

“ Why did you smile ? ” 

“ Ah, Herr^^ she murmured, “ I was so glad.” 

“Why?” 

“ Because I had got safely back here again.” 

What strange fascination had this spot of earth 
for the abandoned creature who had suffered on it 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 103 

nothing 5ut shame and degradation and endless mis- 
ery? Fie remembered to have heard of domestic 
cats who, when the house to which they belong is 
deserted by its inhabitants, prefer to starve beneath 
its mouldering roof than to take up their abode else- 
where. And if this cat-like propensity were incur- 
able in her — what then ? After all, perhaps it would 
be cruel at this moment to pass sentence of banish- 
ment upon her. She might as well stay till to-mor- 
row morning, so long as she kept out of his way. 

he had commanded, “and don’t come near 
me and my visitors again.” 

And she had hung her head humbly, and vanished 
behind the rubbish heap, and there she cowered now, 
in terror of being discovered. 

When Boleslav had finished his story, Engelbert 
exchanged significant glances with his friends, then 
said — 

“We have brought the requisite tools with us. If 
you can supply us with the wood, we will knock you 
up a coffin in a very short time.” 

“Naturally it won’t be a very grand one,” re- 
marked Peter Negenthin with a stony smile. 

Engelbert looked at him reprovingly. A subdued 
growl passed from mouth to mouth through the little 
party, which Boleslav, in his most light-hearted con- 
fidence in his friends’ good will, did not hear. 

“Do you remember,” he exclaimed, “that coffin we 
made for the young Count Dohna in the dark? We 
took two hours over it, though we couldn’t see an 
inch before our noses.” 


104 the sins of the FATHERS 

But his reminiscences met with no response. 

*^One of you hold the horses/’ said Engelbert, 

and the rest of us will go and look for wood. All 
must be ready before nightfall.” 

Boleslav bethought him of the wine in the cellar, 
which the fire had spared, where also was the frugal 
larder, containing bread and salt meat, but not 
enough with which to entertain his friends. 

** I have next to nothing to offer you to eat,” he 
said, but I wish you would at least refresh your- 
selves with a bottle of wine before setting to work.” 

The friends were silent, and their faces clouded. 

‘‘ Never mind refreshment,” said Engelbert, trying 
to assume a facetious tone. ^‘Wine makes a man 
lazy, and we haven’t a minute to spare.” 

He stooped to test some scorched rafters that lay 
about among the stable ruins. 

This will do,” he said, ^^but we won’t saw oft 
the blackened part; that will serve us instead of 
paint.” 

And he walked on farther with Boleslav to look 
for more rafters. Something white rose suddenly 
out of the earth in front of them, and disappeared 
in a twinkling behind a neighbouring wall. 

Boleslav instinctively balled his fists, for he had 
recognised Regina. 

** I ought to apologise,” he said, ** for not being 
able to send you a better messenger. I had no one 
else to send.” 

Engelbert was about to speak, but seemed t<* 
think better of it. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 105 

** You were obliged to supply her with clothes, I 
understand ? 

Yes,” answered Engelbert, his natural loquacity 
getting the upper hand. I found her lying on the 
doorstep with scarcely a rag to her back. She was 
dead beat. I got up in the night to see what the 
dogs were barking at.” 

What ? Was it in the night ? ” 

Two o'clock in the morning. Here is a sound 
rafter. We can use that. . . . She ran the twenty 
miles in seven hours. I should never have thought 
it possible ; she lay like an otter that has been shot 
down — so straight and fair — and gasped for breath. 
Your sheet of paper she clung to with both hands. 
She tried to stand up, but fell backwards. Then I 
fetched her brandy, rubbed her temples, and gave 
her ” 

One of his companions who were following be- 
hind, now came up, and gave him such a look of 
astonishment and reproach that he broke off in the 
middle of a sentence. 

For the next few hours an industrious sawing 
and hammering proceeded from the Castle island, 
which sounds fell disagreeably on the ears of the 
fierce and much perturbed Schrandeners on the 
opposite bank of the river. It seemed to portend 
that their nicely-laid plans were at the last moment 
to be frustrated. 

Old Hackelberg appeared in the street with his 
gun, which, as a rule, lay buried in a dung-heap, 
because he was afraid that it might be taken away 


io6 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


from him, as had once happened when he amused 
himself by shooting bats in the market-place, de- 
claring that they followed him in swarms wherever 
he went. With this famous gun he used in old 
days to go out poaching every night. Dut since his 
once unerring hand had become weak and tremulous 
from drink, he had been obliged to give up the 
trade. Only when he had drunk even more than 
usual did the old sporting instinct rise strongly 
within him, and he would rush to the shed, unearth 
his gun, and bring down a swallow in full flight 
through the air. 

Now he was on the war-path, and with the bab- 
bling rhetoric peculiar to him, shouted — 

** Schrandeners, duty calls ! Arm yourselves 
against the traitors. I am an unhappy father. 
Robbed of my child. Til shoot him dead, the 
brute.” ‘ . 

** But he ts dead,” some one interposed. 

** Is he ? Well, it doesn't matter — the other 
must be shot — all must be shot down.” 

Meanwhile Felix Merckel was ramping about the 
parlour of the Black Eagle like a bull of Bashan. 
He remembered enough about the Heide youths 
to know that when once irritated or attacked they 
would go any length. The inevitable result of 
offering them opposition would be such bloodshed 
as the rioters outside had no conception of. And 
then — what then ? Would not he as ringleader be 
the first object on which the wrath of the outraged 
law would expend itself? 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 107 

On the other hand, did the swindler who had 
dared under a false name to obtain a lieutenancy 
and abuse the confidence of his comrades, thereby 
incurring the contempt and abhorrence of every 
honourable brother-in-arms — did he deserve to be 
allowed to score such a triumph ? 

While his son was debating thus, Herr Merckel, 
senior, was also troubled with anxiety from another 
cause. It struck him as a pity that such a quantity 
of noble enthusiasm should be seething about aim- 
lessly in the open air, and determined to put an 
end to the nuisance. 

He stepped into the porch, and addressed the 
rabble in his suavest, most paternal tones. 

** I, as your local functionary, cannot bear to see 
you, my children, turning our public square into a 
bear-garden. Go under cover, and then you may 
make as much noise as you please.” 

Of course, ** under cover ” could only mean the 
parlour of the Black Eagle ; and, five minutes later, 
the consumption of inspiriting stimulants left no- 
thing to be desired. 

Felix had bowed his curly head between his 
hands, and stared gloomily into his glass. 

Surely no Prussian patriot who had ever worn a 
sword ought silently to look on at what was coming 
to pass this night ? Rather die ! Rather ! . 

He jumped up, and began to speak inspiringly to 
the crowd. 

His speech was not without effect. One after 
the other stole out and returned with some sort 


io8 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

of weapon, a flint -gun, a bent sabre, or a 
scythe. 

** Calm, and patriotic, my children ! ” exclaimed 
old Merckel, grinning, and counting the empty 
tankards with his argus eye. 

Night had come. The two flaring tallow candles 
in the bar illumined the overcrowded, oppressively 
hot room, and were reflected in the polished blades 
of the scythes. Then two or three boys, who had 
been stationed as spies on the drawbridge, burst in, 
shouting at the top of their voices — 

** They’re coming ! They're coming I ” 

There arose a howl of fury. Every one pressed 
to the door. Felix Merckel hurried into his bed- 
room to take his sabre out of its scabbard, but 
he did not come back. Probably the sight of the 
weapon he had so often wielded in honourable war- 
fare brought him to his senses. 

His father continued to exhort the rioters to 
calmness and caution, especially those who had not 
yet paid for their drinks. 

“ Forwards ! ” spluttered old Hackelberg, “avenge 
my poor child. Mow them down 1 ” 

Outside, in the market-place, the whole popula- 
tion of the village was assembled. Even babies in 
swaddling-clothes had been snatched out of their 
cradles, and their squalling mingled with the babel 
of many tongues. The moon came out from behind 
some clouds, and shed a pale twilight on the scene. 
The church tower rose dark and forbidding against 
the sky, and the parsonage, too, remained silent and 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 109 

dark. The old veteran had kept his word. He 
heard and saw nothing of what was passing. A 
dark-red fiery glow appeared behind the cottages 
that lined the road to the river. Above the low 
roofs rose columns of thick black smoke. Like the 
reflection from a conflagration the purple vapour 
encroached on the pale dusk of the summer night. 

With one accord the rabble took the path to the 
churchyard, which, a few yards from the last strag- 
gling houses, lay close to the street. There by the 
gate they would best be able to bar the way to the 
invaders. Those who had been in the war fell into 
rank and stood ready for action. As far as they 
were concerned, it would be a case of soldiers pitted 
against soldiers. 

“ Where is Merckel ? ” one of them exclaimed in 
astonishment, expecting to hear the lieutenant’s 
word of command. Where is Merckel?” was 
echoed in consternation from all sides. 

But the feeling that he must be coming, and had 
only gone to arm himself, allayed any momentary 
suspicion of his having shirked the business at the 
last. The lurid glow drew nearer and nearer. 
Soon the eye could distinguish something black and 
square, framed as it were in flames. 

^^The coffin — the coffin!” the crowd exclaimed, 
and involuntarily shuddered. Then, suddenly — 
who began it no one knew — it was as if it had 
flashed across every brain at the same instant, in 
a booming chorus the mob set up the weird 
chorale — 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


“ Our nobU Baron and Lord 
Of Schrandenerd souls abhorred; 

For the shame he has brought on our head^ 

O God, let the plague strike him decuV^ 

And the coffin advanced. Already the light from 
the torches shone on the faces of the singing mob, 
and women and children retreated screaming. 

The crowd opened wide enough for the proces- 
sion to pass on, and closed again behind it. Six 
men carried the coffin on their shoulders and swung 
flaming pine-branches in their disengaged hands, 
which scared the throng and made it draw to one 
side. Six others followed with loaded muskets. 
At their head Boleslav, with his pistols cocked in 
his hand, his military cap on the back of his head, 
piercing his antagonists with his burning gaze, 
cleared a road for his father's corpse. Deeper 
became the rent in the human vortex, thinner the 
space that divided the procession from the armed 
Schrandeners, who looked uneasily from side to 
side, conscious that they were leaderless. 

When Boleslav stood face to face with them they 
were about to make a forward dash, but a short 
military Halt 1 " such as they had often heard in 
the campaign, compelled them to take a step back- 
wards instead, for in spite of themselves, their 
limbs insisted on complying with the old habit of 
obedience. Boleslav, who had intended the order 
for the bearers, saw its effect on the armed line in 
front of him, and suddenly a new idea occurred 
to him. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS m 

“ As you were » ” he commanded again. No one 
moved a hair. His manner, his voice mastered 
them. ** Which of you have been soldiers ? Which 
of you has helped his king to make his country free?” 

An indistinct, half-resentful murmur went through 
the ranks, but there was no answer. 

^‘The king sent you home,” he continued, ‘^be- 
cause he is now at peace with his enemies. Do 
you suppose that he would be pleased to hear you 
had taken it upon yourselves to break the peace 
once more in his realm ? Bah ! he wouldn’t be- 
lieve it of you ! He might believe it of Poles, but 
not of Prussians ! So make room, my good people. 
Let us pass ! ” 

The line wavered and began to break in places. 
For one moment the churchyard gate lay clear 
before Boleslav’s eyes, but the next, fresh figures 
had moved up from behind and filled the breach. 

Again the clamour arose, and mingliner :th it a 
loud, gurgling laugh of derision. In anofntr instant 
something round, black, and polished was levelled 
at Boleslav’s head, and behind it sparkled a pair of 
malignant eyes. He had only a second in which 
to realise what was going to happen, before a figure, 
supple as a panther’s, shot past him and plunged 
into the midst of the Schrandeners’ troops, which 
again showed signs of giving way. In the hiatus 
thus made, Boleslav saw two forms wrestling on the 
ground, one that of a woman, the oth«r a man’s. 
The woman overpowered her antagonist, and wrested 
from his hand the gleaming bore of a gun. 


1 12 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


It was the carpenter Hackelberg and his daughter. 
She must, stealthily and unobserved, have followed 
the funeral cortege, for since her disappearance on 
the other side of the stable ruins Boleslav had seen 
nothing of her. The crowd pushed forward, curious 
to find out who was struggling on the ground, and 
Boleslav, promptly taking advantage of the general 
confusion, passed the combatants and gained the 
churchyard gate, the coffin following close at his 
heels. 

Behind was heard the report of the gun, which 
exploded in the hand-to-hand struggle. 

‘‘Guard the entrance!” he called to the six who 
followed the coffin, while the bearers made their way 
between the mounds and tombstones to the burial 
vault of the Barons von Schranden. 

^ Karl Engelbert stationed himself as sentinel be- 
neath the gateway, and saw, by aid of the last 
flicker of the torches as they moved away, how 
the crowd closed round the wrestling father and 
daughter. 

Three piercing shrieks escaped the girl’s lips. 
Evidently the mob intended to wreak its thwarted 
fury on her. There seemed little doubt that she 
would perish at its hands, unless some one came 
quickly to her help. 

“Leave her alone!” cried Engelbert, striking out 
right and left with his powerful fists. And then the 
figure, that had been so pitifully mauled and in such 
dire extremity till he interfered, emerged from the 
midst of her persecutors. She glided past him, 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 113 

dived into the dry ditch that skirted the churchyard 
wall, and then disappeared like a shadow, into the 
darkness. The Schrandeners began, with whoops 
and hoots, to pursue her. 

** How about the burial ? ” cried one. 

** The devil take the burial ! ” exclaimed another, 
and cast a shy glance at the men standing on guard 
by the churchyard gate — men who looked as if they 
were not to be trifled with. Certainly it was better 
sport to give chase to a defenceless creature than to 
risk one’s skin in an encounter with them. 

And the Schrandeners started off like blood- 
hounds. The carpenter Hackelberg tried to do 
likewise, but staggered instead into the ditch, where 
he lay full length and fell asleep. 


CHAPTER VII 


The last of the stone slabs that covered the vault 
had crunched back in its place with a resounding 
crash. Hans Eberhard von Schranden lay with his 
ancestors. In the little chapel, the men who had 
acted as grave-diggers bared their heads and said a 
short prayer. The torches that had burnt down to 
their sockets smouldered on the smooth surface of 
the flagstones, and cast a lurid glow as they flickered 
out over the stern faces of the worshippers. 

Then without looking round at Boleslav they left 
the chapel. He stood in a remote corner with his 
hands before his face, brooding fiercely on the future 
that lay before him. The echoing footsteps roused 
him, and silently he followed his friends, letting the 
iron gate of the chapel that had been broken open 
when they came in, swing back in the lock. 

The moon had again pierced the clouds, and 
illumined with a weird radiance the mounds and 
crosses that stood in regular rows, like columns 
drawn up for battle. 

Do you wish to bait me too ? ” Boleslav murmured 

as he contemplated the graves for a moment with a 

bitter smile. At the gate he overtook his friends. 

They joined the men on guard, who now had 
*14 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 115 

nothing to watch, for, with the exception of a group 
of women and old men who stood gossiping by the 
hedge, the street was empty. Hoots were heard 
proceeding from the distant fields, where the mob 
apparently were still in full pursuit. 

God have mercy on her, if they catch her ! ” said 
Karl Engelbert with folded hands. Then two of his 
comrades, one of whom was Peter Negenthin, came 
up to him and whispered earnestly in his ear. 

Boleslav was too lost in thought to notice their 
strange and unnatural behaviour towards himself, 
and was not even aware, as they walked through 
the village, that he was always left to walk alone, 
though now and then he stepped confidentially to 
the side of one or other of them. He had accom- 
plished the first chapter of his work. His father 
was laid to rest as befitted his rank, and yet it 
seemed as if the real work was only just beginning. 
He beheld all he had to do towering like a great 
inaccessible mountain in front of him. The moulder- 
ing ruins must be built up again ; what was now 
a waste overgrown by weeds must be restored to 
a waving sea of golden corn ; he must strive to 
endow his neglected property with new wealth, and 
his tarnished name with new honour ; and then he 
saw, as the goal of all this striving, the face of the 
beloved beckoning him onwards. If he was too 
bowed down now with a consciousness of shame 
and disgrace to look into her pure, maidenly eyes, 
then he would be able to go to her and say, Now, 
all is expiated. I am worthy to lay myself at your 


ii6 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


feet.” Yes, he would struggle tooth and nail — work 
day and night — to attain this end. 

At first it seemed almost madness to think of 
such a gigantic undertaking. . . . But he had his 
friends to help him. . . . After all, it would not be 
a single-handed struggle. Had not they to-day 
helped him to achieve the impossible ? Would 
not they, true to their sacred oath, continue to 
stand by him in need with their advice and sym- 
pathy ? And perhaps their noble example would in 
time break down the barrier that divided him from his 
fellow-creatures, and lead to his father's sin being 
at last consigned to the limbo of forgotten history. 

Higher and higher rose his hopes as he meditated 
thus. They had left the village street behind them, 
and now reached the drawbridge, where the vehicles 
had been put up. The horses, each with its nose 
in a bundle of hay, waited patiently by the fence 
to which they were tethered. Immediately, without 
a moment's delay, the comrades set to work to 
harness them. 

This frightened Boleslav out of his dream. 

** What ! ” he exclaimed. Off already, before I 
have thanked you ? ” 

No one spoke. 

Won’t you take a glass of wine now the job is 
finished ? And I wanted to ask your advice about 
other matters.” 

Peter Negenthin strode up, and looking him 
straight in the face, drew his clenched fist from the 
sling. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 117 

‘*We would rather die of thirst,” he hissed 
through his set teeth, ** than take a drink of water 
from your hand.” 

Boleslav staggered backwards as if he had been 
hit between the eyes. He felt the earth reeling 
beneath his feet. 

Then Karl Engelbert stepped forth from his sullen 
little band. 

** It is much to be deplored, Baumgart — I call you 
so because you have been Baumgart to us till this 
minute — it is much to be deplored that you should 
thus be bluntly told of what our present feelings are 
towards you. Why did not you hold your tongue, 
Negenthin ? . . . But the words have been spoken 
and cannot be recalled, so now you may as well 
know all. You summoned us, and we came. Some 
of us, it is true, were of opinion that we weren't 
obliged to obey your summons, considering you had 
deceived us about your name ; but others said, 
whether it was Baumgart or no, we were bound by 
the oath taken in the church at Dannigkow, after 
our first battle — and none of us were desirous of 
breaking an oath. That is why we are here. You 
can imagine that we didn’t come willingly. We are 
honest fellows, and to tell the truth, the work you 
gave us to do went against the grain. The long 
and short of it is, that when we go home, and 
people spit in our faces, we must put up with it, 
for they will have right on their side.” 

** Why didn’t you say all this before ? ” Boleslav 
stammered forth. ‘‘Why, oh why have you let it 


ii8 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


come to my standing here before you — like a — like 
a — Ha! ha! ha! If you spit in my face^ I must 
put up with it ! ” 

“ You need not reproach yourself on our account/^ 
Engelbert replied. ^*You have quite enough to 
bear without that. But now that we have dis- 
charged our duty — without grumbling, ‘you must 
admit — I can only ask you, on behalf of myself and 
my comrades, to release us from our oath, as we 
release you from yours. Of course we cannot 
compel you against your wish, but all I can say 
is, that if you don’t choose to do it, we must leave 
home and kindred, and wander forth into the world, 
lest people ” 

** Stop ! ” cried Boleslav, feeling as if more would 
kill him. ^‘Your desire is fulfilled. I now wish 
it as earnestly as you do. Of a truth I should 
deserve my disgrace, were I ever to ask another 
favour of you. ... I will not even insult you by 
saying 'Many thanks’ for the service you have 
just rendered me. May God reward you, and may 
He forgive you for having put me in my present 
position; rather would I have thrown the corpse 
into the river and myself after it; let us say no 
more. Perhaps you will allow me to assist in 
putting the horses in, as there is nothing else I can 
do for you ? ” 

" I am sorry," Engelbert said, his voice quivering 
with emotion; "it pains us deeply. We are as 
fond of you yourself as we have ever been — but, 
you see ’’ 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 119 

I see all, dear Engelbert ; no excuses are 
necessary.” 

** Well then, we wish you farewell.” 

Farewell ! ” 

The horses were put in. All were in readiness to 
start. Staring vacantly before him, Boleslav leant 
against the wall. Engelbert turned and took a last 
look at him from the box-seat. 

And don’t forget Regina ! ” he said. That is 
to say, if she escapes with her life. It is to her, 
not to us, you are indebted.” 

^Wery well,” answered Boleslav, not taking in 
the meaning of what had been said to him. 

‘'Adieu!” 

“ Adieu, and bon voyage ! ” 

The drivers cracked their whips ; in another 
moment the heavy wheels had thundered over the 
loose flooring of the drawbridge. Like silver-girt 
phantoms the coaches disappeared in the misty 
moonlight. 

He was alone — more alone than any outcast in 
God’s wide world. What should he do ? 

He began wearily to drag his footsteps up the 
incline. The brambles that tangled the ground 
wound round his ankles. A firefly made a zig- 
zag thread of flame in front of him. From the top 
of the hill the great, weird, dark masses of the 
Castle ruins looked down on him, as if threatening 
to fall on him and bury him beneath their debris. 
Through the yawning window-casements the moon 
shone, giving them the appearance of huge ghostly 


120 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

eyes. He roamed absently past the towers, a sudden 
exhaustion weighing like lead upon his limbs. If 
only he could fall asleep and never wake again. 

He tried to remember what it was his friend had 
called out to him from the coach at parting. He 
racked and racked his brains, but his memory failed 
him. 

The grass plot, where he had first found the half- 
wild girl, lay before him brightly illumined by the 
moon. The spot where she had begun to dig the 
grave stood out in uncanny blackness from the rest 
of the shining turf. 

If only he had shovelled the corpse into it and 
gone on his way, perhaps somewhere at the other 
end of the world some sort of happiness might still 
have been in store for him. 

But now it was too late. Now all he could do 
was to endure — to complete the work of defiance 
begun to-day under such gloomy circumstances. 
Desolate and alone till the end. Never to feel again 
the clasp of a friendly hand, never to look with trust 
and affection into any human face, since the doughty 
comrades he had so firmly believed in had recoiled 
from him shuddering. 

And had not the beloved shrunk from him too in 
horror ? It seemed clear now for the first time why 
she had avoided him and hidden herself. 

He was cut adrift from all the joys and sorrows 
that form a common bond between the hearts of 
men — cut adrift from love, hope, compassion, from 
everything but ignominy and hate. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 121 

With his face buried in his hands, he staggered 
over the lawn in the direction of the gardener’s cot- 
tage, when his foot struck against something round 
and soft that lay across the path. It was the figure 
of a woman, lying with her head buried in the dry 
leaves and her limbs outstretched. Regina — posi- 
tively it was Regina! 

** What are you doing here ? Get up.” 

There was not a sound or a movement. Where 
had he seen her last ? Ah 1 to be sure ; under the 
churchyard gateway, screening him from the gun 
that was pointed at his brain. That ghastly moment 
came back to him with all its terrors. For his sake 
she had flung herself on the murderer; for his sake 
risked her life. And how had he rewarded her? 
He had pushed carelessly past her ; consigned her 
to the mercy of the murderous, bloodthirsty crew 
who were greedy to take her life, without a shadow 
of a thought of how he might save hei^ troubling 
him for an instant. Even if she were the most 
abandoned creature on the face of the earth, she 
had not deserved such dastardly treatment at his 
hands. Certainly she had not. 

** Regina, wake up.” 

He bent over her and raised her, but her head 
fell back lifeless among the bushes. There was 
blood on his fingers from touching her. Her hair 
was damp and matted. 

Was she dead? No; it must not, could not 
be. Sacrificed for him; that would mean adding 
original guilt to the sin he had inherited, and the 


122 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


idea of owing so much to such a degraded creature, 
was in the last degree humiliating. She must at 
least live till he had paid her. He tore open her 
chemise with a rough, eager hand, and laid his ear 
on the cool, rounded breast. 

God be praised ! Her heart was still beating. And 
as he raised her once more, she slowly opened her 
great eyes and looked round her vacantly. As if 
shocked at being caught holding her thus, he let her 
head slip out of his arms. 

She moaned slightly as she sank back, for the 
swaying briars hurt her. Then regaining conscious- 
ness, she lifted herself on her elbow and gazed at 
him in dumb inquiry. 

“Get up, Regina,” he said. 

The sound of his voice made her tremble. She 
tried to struggle on to her feet, but fell back help- 
lessly. 

“Let me lie where I am,” she begged, with a 
timid, imploring glance. 

“Stand up. I will help you.” 

“Must I go?” she asked, evading the proffered 
support. Grief and anxiety were depicted on her 
blood-stained, beautiful face. 

“You would rather stay with me?” 

“Ah, Herr, how can you ask?” 

“But you’ll have a bad time of it if you do.” 

“Oh, no, Herr. The gnddiger Herr used to whip 
me every day. I am quite accustomed to it.” 

“But somewhere else they would treat you 
better.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 12.3 

Somewhere else ? ** New consternation showed 
itself on her features. 

Good God ! A woman like you, who is willing 
and hard-working, and has such strong limbs, is 
sure ” 

She shook her head violently. ** I shouldn’t go 
far. I/err, If you hunt me away, I shall only lie 
down in a ditch and starve to death.” 

A softer look came into his eyes. -No matter how 
bad, stupid, and corrupt she might be, she was the 
only human being in the wide world who clung to 
him. Why should he drive her from his threshold, 
when he himself was despised, ostracised, and a 
social outcast ? Were they not both under the ban 
of the same misfortune ? 


CHAPTER VIII 


The next few days proved how little he was in 
a position to live on his own estate without her 
services. He was far more dependent on her than 
she on him. Helpless as a shipwrecked mariner on 
a desert island, he stole about the ancestral grounds. 
Though the mines and wolfs’-traps no longer dogged 
his steps, finding his way among the chaos of smoked 
and tumbling walls made him giddy, and decay had 
altered everything so much, that the landmarks of 
his childish memories afforded him no assistance. 
Even the park, where once he had known every tree 
and bush, through long years of neglect, had become 
such a wilderness that at every step he nearly lost 
himself in it. 

When the first flush of his defiance and despair 
had subsided, the question arose, ** What was he to 
do next ? ” It was a problem that pressed for solution, 
as the miserable rations of bread and meat in the 
cellars were running out. 

His pride prevented his seeking advice from 
Regina; he had not spoken to her again. Appar- 
ently she understood the wisdom of making herself 
scarce. But when he returned of a morning from 
the river, where he went for a bath, he found the 


THE SINS OP THE FATHERS 125 

red-flowered counterpane of the canopied bed neatly 
I arranged, the floor swept, and strewn with sand and 
fragrant fir spikes, and saw awaiting him on the 
gold-legged table (the fourth leg of which was 
propped up with a brick) a steaming brown coffee- 
pot, and dainty slices of black bread lying beside it. 

I His shyness at taking food from her hands had 
j soon to be got over. At first he had still hesitated 
a little to break bread that she had brought him, but 
it looked so appetising, and bathing in the cold 
[ autumn mornings sharpened his hunger, that at last 
his scruples had gone to the wall. 

At midday, a soup made of bread, and slices of 
I roast meat, stood read}’^ for him, not to mention a 
! bottle of good wine; and in the evening, by some 
clever stratagem, another meal of a different character 
I was contrived out of the same unpromising materials. 

; Thus she knew how to keep house with nothing but 
j the scanty larder he had found in the cellar at her 
1 disposal. 

I He often saw her whisk past the window with 
I pots and kettles, on her way to wash them in the 
river. When she came back she would cautiously 
peer with her lustrous eyes through the shrubs, to 
ascertain whether the coast was clear. If he hap- 
pened to be at the door, or looking out of the 
window, she would immediately disappear in the 
wood. 

She made the gardener's former workshop her 
domain. One morning when he had watched her 
go down to the river, he went in to look at it He 


126 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


found a low, sloping room, with a roof composed of 
old greenhouse frames. The green, dusty, lead- 
bordered panes were much cracked, and in places 
let in the winds and rains of heaven. The ground 
was neither floored nor paved, but covered with a 
dark moist garden soil resembling peat. Attached 
to the walls were rude wooden shelves, once used 
by the gardener for his flower-pots. They now 
held all the house^s scanty stock of crockery. Pots, 
plates, and dishes were arranged on them in perfect 
order, and had been polished till they shone. A 
blackened door off its hinges, evidently rescued 
from the fire, supported by two wooden boxes about 
two feet from the ground, was spread with straw 
and a haircloth, of the kind that are thrown over 
the backs of horses to protect them from cold. 
This was her bed — **Many a dog has a better,” 
he thought. The brick fireplace was in the oppo- 
site corner ; a home-made contrivance of beams was 
meant to guide the belching smoke from the hearth 
into its proper channel, but only partially succeeded. 

In this smoky hole, with its cold damp floor, she 
was domiciled, and desired nothing better. Here 
her heart was centred as in a dearly cherished 
Paradise. Poor, wretched woman ! and to be driven 
forth from it meant to her death and perdition. 

And then one evening she disappeared. He had 
at last made up his mind to speak to her about the 
provisions, and went to call her. No answer came. 
The kitchen was empty. He sought her in the 
park, among the ruins, on the bridge, all over the 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 127 

island, but there was no sign of her. Her name rang 
clearly out through the night air as he called her, and 
had she been anywhere about she must have heard 
it. He became suspicious. Probably after the hard 
work of her lonely days, she took it out at night in 
the arms of a swain. She was, of course, well versed 
in the arts of vice, and would not scruple to yield 
herself to the embraces of some rustic gallant. 
Many of her persecutors below may have desired 
the body they stoned. How otherwise could her ob- 
stinate adherence to her present miserable mode of 
living, after his father's death, be explained, except 
by the existence of a new sin — a sin which, per- 
haps, had long been carried on hand-in-hand with 
the old. He was filled with loathing and disgust 
at the thought. 

** If she can’t behave herself. I’ll pack her off 
early to-morrow morning ; ” and with this resolution 
he retired to rest. But he could not sleep for 
thinking of what the future would be without her. 
To send her away would involve going himself the 
same day. 

At about six o’clock he was awakened out of a 
doze by a stealthy opening of the outer door. He 
got up and dressed himself quickly, determined to 
call her to account without loss of time. He en- 
tered the kitchen and found her on the hearth with 
inflated cheeks, blowing the pine logs she had just 
set alight into a flame. 

She turned on him slowly, her eyes big with as- 
tonishment, and said, ** Good morning, HerrJ* 


128 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

He trembled in angry excitement. '‘Where have 
you been all night ?’' he thundered. 

Her arms fell to her sides, and she shrank away 
terrified. 

"Tell me at once.” 

"Ah, Herr,'' she stuttered, hanging her head, "I 
thought you wouldn’t notice I had gone, and that I 
should be back before the Herr was awake ” 

"So, if I don’t notice, you amuse yourself by run^ 
ning about all night?” 

She had retreated still farther from him. 

"But — ^but — I was obliged to go,” she said, stam- 
mering painfully. "There was scarcely anything 
at all left — and — and the Herr has eaten nothing 
but salt meat for so long.” 

The scales fell from his eyes. 

"You went, then, to fetch food?” 

"Of course, Herr. I have brought veal and fresh 
eggs and butter — and sausage and lots of things. 
It’s all in the cellar.” 

"Where did you get it?” 

"Oh, I told you, Herr — in Bockeldorf. I know 
a grocer there, who gets ready a supply of what we 
want beforehand, and when I knock at nights he 
lets me in at the back door. Not a living soul be- 
sides his wife knows. And he’s not very dear. Herr 
Merckel, down in the village, charges a thaler a 
pound for meat, and swears at me into the bargain.” 

"And you have walked six miles there and back 
to-night, and carried all those heavy parcels?” 

Still frightened, she regarded him with surprise. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 129 

I think you know, Herr, that I can do it, for I told 
you so before.” 

But it’s a physical impossibility. Don’t lie 
to me, girl. From my experience during the cam- 
paign, I know how much fatigue a man can 
stand.” 

Now that she saw he was no longer angry she 
dared to draw herself to her full height. She ex- 
hibited her powerful arms proudly, and exclaimed 
with a pleased smile — 

can stand more than any man, Herr, else I 
should be no good at all.” 

*^For how long have you been going on these 
journeys, Regina?” 

For five years, Herr. Every week. Sometimes 
oftener. In summer it’s child’s play. But in 
autumn and winter, when the snow lies two feet 
thick in the wood, or when the meadows are flooded, 
it’s no joke. But there’s one thing to be thankful 
for, the nights are long then, and at least no one 
can see you. And Td a hundred times rather walk 
the six miles than go to that beast — I beg pardon, 
I mean Herr Merckel — who takes a thaler for a 
pound of meat. Isn’t that abominable? And in 
the village ” 

She paused suddenly, as if she feared being scolded 
for talking too much. 

** What were you going to say, Regina ? ” he 
asked in a kindlier tone. 

** Oh, nothing, but I should like to beg the Her^^s 
pardon for having gone without leave. But I thought 


130 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

he might perhaps like a change for breakfast — a 
fresh egg ” 

** Never mind, Regina,” he said, turning away ; 
“you are a good girl.” 

He went down to the river to bathe. When he 
came back he found his room tidied as usual, only 
the coffee was not there. 

“ She is so tired out that she's fallen asleep/' he 
thought, and resigned himself to wait. At least, 
she should not be reprimanded any more to-day. 

But in consequence of his bath he was bitterly 
cold, ‘and found he could not forego the customary 
warm beverage much longer. So, in order not to 
wake her he went on tiptoe into the kitchen to see 
to the fire himself. But she was not asleep, though 
at the first glance it looked like it. She sat on the 
edge of her couch, motionless, with her hands before 
her face. Now and again a quiver passed through 
her frame, a symptom of the sleep of exhaustion. 
Yet on regarding her closer, he saw that glistening 
tear-drops were falling through her red, plump fingers, 
and her breast was shaking with gurgling sobs. 

“What’s the matter, Regina? Why are you 
crying ? ” 

She did not answer, but her sobs became louder. 

“ Have I hurt your feelings, Regina ? I shouldn't 
have scolded you if I had known where you had 
been.” 

She let her hands fall from her face, and looked 
at him with eyes swollen from weeping. 

“ Ah, Herr / ” she said in a voice half choked by 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 13 1 

tears. ** No one — ever — called me that before ; and 
— it's not — true.” 

His mood changed and became harsh again. He 
was not conscious of having used any abusive epi- 
thet. It was too ridiculous of this creature, who was 
accustomed to being hounded about from pillar to 
post, to pretend to be thin-skinned and fastidious. 

** What isn’t true ? ” he demanded. 

** What you said.” 

” What did I say ? Good heavens ! ” 

”That I — I was a good ” She broke again 

into convulsive sobs that stifled her voice. 

He shook his head, perplexed at her distress. 
He had never looked very deeply into the most 
complex problems of the human soul, and did not 
know that even dishonour has its code of honour. 
Laughing, he laid his hand on her shoulder. 

” Don’t cry any more, Regina ; I meant no harm. 
And now get my breakfast ready.” 

” May — I — bring it in ? ” she asked, still sobbing. 

** Do you want me to come and fetch it ? ” 

only thought I mightn’t — ” She moved to 
the hearth and began blowing the smouldering fire, 
using her tear-stained cheeks as bellows. 

After that she was no longer shy of entering his 
room when he was there. Ever anxious to forestall 
his wishes, she seemed to read his countenance 
without a question passing her lips. 

Boleslav had found, in the recesses of the cellar 
in which money and wine were stored, great masses 
of papers stuffed into chests, where chaos reigned 


132 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

supreme. They contained the whole of his father'i^ 
correspondence, deeds, and documents of every 
description. His first search among them had 
brought to light nothing less important than his 
aunt’s last will and testament, in which her Excel- 
lency bequeathed to Boleslav von Schranden, the 
only son of her favourite niece, the whole of her 
fortune, ‘Ho compensate him for the wrong,” so 
ran the clause, “ from which he would suffer to the 
end of his days.” 

Boleslav’s pleasure at first was not great ; it was 
only when he considered that here was a weapon 
put into his hand to use in the coming struggle, 
that he began to appreciate the value of the gift. 
He scarcely gave a thought to the giver, who had 
always been kindness itself to him, so hardened 
had he become, so completely was his mind en- 
grossed by contemplation of the grim work that it 
was his duty to carry on. 

If only he could have seen a way clear before 
him, which he could have pursued instantly, with- 
out looking to the right or left, with the impetuous 
zeal characteristic of his nature ! But for months 
the prospect must be one of paralysing hopeless 
inaction. The war which he had determined to 
wage against the Schrandeners must be conducted 
on an ambitious scale, if it were not to end in the 
pitiful failure that had soured and impoverished the 
last years of his father’s life. It would need an 
army of workmen to inspire the serfs, who had so 
long run wild, with new respect. And where were 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 133 

these to be engaged, when there was not a soul in 
the neighbourhood who would not have disdained to 
enter his service ? But nearly everything is attain- 
able with money, and doubtless many a swaggering 
patriot, who now spat at the mention of his name, 
could be brought, cringing and servile, to heel, by 
the bribe of a triple wage. Only, for this his 
means were not sufficient. The cash that at the first 
glance had seemed such vast wealth, proved, on 
nearer calculation, to be wholly inadequate to float 
his scheme. It was 4500 thalers, left from out- 
standing debts, that the old baron had hastily saved 
from the conflagration, when the whole world must 
have appeared to him to be melting into flame. 
For the sort of existence that, following his father’s 
example, he was now leading with Regina, such a 
sum would last for years; but for the project he 
had in view, it was a mere drop in the ocean. 

Before the discovery of the will he had with a 
heavy heart entertained the idea of offering the fine 
old timber, which had been the pride of his ances- 
tors, for sale, and to dispose of it below its value if 
the need arose. Now he had abandoned the plan 
as impracticable. Granted that he could find a 
market for it as easily as he hoped, it must be 
months before the actual cash came into his hands. 
Besides winter was at hand, one of those severe 
East Prussian winters, when work in the open air is 
out of the question. For this year at least neither 
building nor ploughing was to be thought of. Why, 
then, make a sacrifice which with a little patience 


134 the sins of the FATHERS 

might be avoided altogether? If on the first of 
April he claimed his legacy, and was able with full 
pockets to enlist workers in his service, by May the 
building would be in full swing, and possibly the 
ground ready for the sowing of crops. 

But till then — till then — ! How would he be able 
to support the barren monotony of grey winter days 
spent in enforced and dreary idleness when his 
hands were burning to be at work? How endure 
the thought that his beloved was in the near neigh- 
bourhood and he unable to ask her the fateful 
question on which his life and happiness hung? 
Would she wait ? Would she forgive ? Would 
she steel her heart against the atmosphere of hate 
and slander that surrounded her, and so keep her 
affection for him unchanged ? 

The Madonna in the cathedral came back to him. 
He wondered if she still resembled it. If only 
for one moment he might have gazed into her face ! 
There was a white and red mist before his eyes ; he 
saw lilies and roses, and a radiant virgin figure 
bending over them with a smile, but the features 
of the girl he had loved he could only dimly 
recall. 

Veiled from his sight, perhaps she was destined 
to be the invisible guardian-angel who was to watch 
over his endeavours till his work was completed, 
when she would set the crown to it by revealing 
herself. He became gradually reconciled to the 
thought, and ceased to yearn for a meeting ; and one 
word or sign to assure him that his hopes in her 


THE SINS. OF THE FATHERS 135 

constancy were not ill-founded would have more 
than satisfied him. 

More and more he buried himself in the chaos of 
papers, which seemed to increase instead of diminish, 
in spite of his arduous sifting. The yellowed parch- 
ments stood in great piles against the wall of his 
sitting-room, reaching higher than the head of his 
beautiful grandmother, and yet in the vaults there 
still remained chests and boxes full, untouched. 
The whole archives of the family seemed to have 
been gathered together at a moment's notice, and 
hurled into a place of safety without the slightest 
regard to method or arrangement. Out of this 
confusion he wanted to find documents relating 
to the property, which were important, not to say 
indispensable. Among others, were missing those 
that concerned agreements with the emancipated 
peasants relating to land boundaries. The canaille 
below were certain to have grabbed from the do- 
main that had become ownerless, more than their 
legal share. He saw how law-suits would have 
to be fought over almost every inch of ground, and 
he must be able to back his claim with irrefragable 
documentary proof. 

Nevertheless he felt an insuperable aversion to 
appealing to the courts. The picture of his father, 
as he had seen him the last time alive, stood out 
vividly in his memory; the ostracised baron, who 
had been bold enough to seek the aid of the law, 
had then found every door closed in his face. Truly 
Prussia at that time was not itself. The walls of 


136 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

the State were tottering to their foundations, and 
the rats were having it all their ov/n way. But what 
guarantee was there that the son of such a father 
would find the ear of justice less deaf to his appeal ? 
The law had shifts and resources in plenty by which 
an unpopular person could be rendered powerless 
to benefit by its help, and he did not doubt that he 
would fall a victim to such casuistry. His deserted 
and forlorn position so distorted his view of things 
that law and order took the form of wild beasts 
lying on the drawbridge in ambush for their prey. 
Even his military duties had no interest for him 
now. Lieutenant Baumgart was on the list of 
killed. Why trouble the authorities with the work 
of his resurrection ? They would not thank him 
for it. 

A text from the Bible came into his mind : ** His 
hand shall be against every man, and every man's 
hand against him.” The curse that accompanied 
Hagar’s son through life, he by dint of stubborn 
defiance would turn into a blessing. 

Weeks went by, but he hardly observed the 
flight of time. He sat immersed day after day in 
his papers, wandering forth of an evening to stumble 
about the ruins, or to take a walk in the overgrown 
park. There was only one place he carefully 
avoided. That was the path which led to the 
Cats’ Bridge. When he chanced to find himself 
nearing it, his heart beat quicker, and he would 
hurry breathlessly by the shrubs that concealed it 
from view. Yet he was tormented by a grim desire 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 137 

to stand on the scene of the disaster, a desire which 
at length became almost irrepressible. 

It was one evening towards the end of September 
when, for the first time since his return home, the 
moon was full. He roamed restlessly in the glades 
of the park, the dry leaves rustled at his feet, and 
the autumn wind shook the branches of the trees. 
The moonbeams shimmered on the grass like 
flocks of white sheep. Before him the shrubs rose 
in a dark, jagged line of wall. An impulse of sinister 
curiosity suddenly got the better of the superstitious 
repugnance that had hitherto held him back, and he 
plunged through the thicket that, with a sort of 
protecting air, hid the path. The descent to the 
river was steep, almost perpendicular, and the 
mirror-like surface of the water was entirely con- 
cealed by alder-bushes. A faint rippling and splash- 
ing below fell mysteriously on his ear. From the 
top of the precipice a railed plank shot boldly out 
into mid-air. A rude scaffolding, planted firmly in 
the rock of the precipice, supported it with iron bars. 
On the opposite bank the trunk of a giant oak 
formed the support. In the middle there was a 
yawning gap of from ten to twelve feet. Like two 
arms longingly outstretched but never meeting, the 
planks branched forth on either side above the 
abysmal depths. 

If they had never reached each other the crime 
would never have come to pass. But an easier job 
for a joiner could not be conceived. The plank on 
this side had two loose boards, which, by means of 


138 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

a wedge, could easily be pushed across; and the 
position of the hand-rail, by being unhinged, could 
also be reversed. Everything seemed to have been 
arranged expressly to facilitate the treacherous 
transaction. As a memorial of eternal shame, the 
dark, crude structure loomed out through the white 
mists of the brilliant night. 

Beneath, the splashing from the invisible river 
grew more pronounced. It sounded as if its waters 
were still foaming with rage at the deed that so 
long ago had been enacted near at hand, and which 
death itself could not consign to oblivion. 

Like a man in a dream, he stepped on to the 
plank, and looked down on the silver surface, which 
seemed to be emitting myriads of diamond sparks. 
Then he beheld the figure of a woman, who stood 
up to her knees in the water, with her skirts 
pinned round her waist. It was Regina, doing her 
washing, and wringing out the articles among the 
sandbanks and osiers. 

His brows contracted. That he should encounter 
her here of all places ! But in common justice he 
was obliged to admit it was not her fault. When- 
ever she could she avoided him, and he had no 
reason to complain that he saw too much of her. 

He leant absently on the railing and watched her. 
She had no idea that he was anywhere in the 
neighbourhood. She bent low over the water, the 
muscles in her neck and arms strained by her 
exertions, and shook the wet clothes with a will, 
sending up a spray of glistening drops. From time 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 139 

to time she chanted the song on two notes, that he 
had heard her hum while digging the grave, break- 
ing off abruptly when the water spurted into her 
nose and mouth. 

What a hard worker she was ! He had imagined 
her long ago gone to bed, and here she was instead, 
at this time of night, washing as if her life depended 
on it! 

She started in alarm. His foot had disturbed 
some small pebbles, which fell splashing into the 
water close to where she stood. Her first thought 
was that some one was lying in wait for her among 
the shrubs, and she moved suspiciously nearer the 
opposite bank. When at last it occurred to her to 
look up at the Cats’ Bridge, she gave a startled cry. 

** Don’t be frightened, Regina,” he called down 
to her. ** I am not going to hurt you.” 

Whereupon she returned calmly to her washing. 

How do you get down there ? ” he asked. 

She wiped her face with her naked arm. ** I’m 
a good climber,” she said, looking up at him for a 
moment with blinking eyes. 

** Doesn’t the water freeze you ? So late in the 
year, too ! ” 

She made some response that he did not under- 
stand. He was curious to see how she would 
clamber up the steep declivity with her burden, 
so remained where he was and continued to watch 
her. 

In a few minutes she packed up her washing and 
climbed on the bank. The moonlight cast a flashing 


140 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

halo round the masses of her hair, which to-day 
had been combed till it was almost smooth. She 
looked as if she wore a coronet. With one shy 
glance to ascertain that he was still standing there, 
she dived into the shrubs, and he saw her dart 
rapidly from branch to branch with the agility of a 
wild-cat. At the top she let down her skirts, and 
would have flown with her basket, had he not called 
her back. 

*^Why do you do your washing at night?*' he 
inquired, making an effort to look friendly disposed 
towards her. 

Because in the daytime they give me no 
peace.” 

The villagers ? ” 

"'Yes, Herrr 

What do they do to you ? ” 

** What they always do — throw things at me.** 

Over the river ? ’* 

*‘Yes, Herrr 

^^The next time any one assaults you, come and 
fetch me.” 

She did not answer. 

** Do you understand ? ** 

She folded her hands, and looked at him beseech- 
ingly. 

** What*s the matter ? *’ he asked. 

“ Please, Herr^ don’t shoot at them,” she stam- 
mered. *^They like you to do that. He — the 
gnddiger Herr^ I mean — tried it once. Then they 
began to shoot too, from the other side, and there 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 14 1 

was firing here and firing there ; the wonder was no 
one got shot. Don’t you see, if they get into the 
habit of carrying guns about with them always, they 
are certain to hit me one day, for I’m obliged to go 
off the island sometimes ? ” 

It was the longest and most sensible speech he 
had as yet heard from her lips. He had not 
suspected the existence of so much thoughtful 
wisdom behind that low brow, in its frame of wild 
hair. 

You are right, Regina,” he replied. ** For your 
sake I must forbear from provoking them.” 

He saw in the moonlight a dark flush suffuse her 
face. 

** For my sake, Herr P ” she said hesitatingly. ** I 
don’t quite understand what you mean, Herr'' 

** Oh, well, never mind,” he answered evasively. 

What I wanted to ask you, Regina, was — are you 
satisfied in my service ? can I do anything to make 
you more comfortable ? ” 

She stared at him in dumb amazement. 

You mustn’t think, Regina,” he went on, ‘‘that 
I am unfriendly. My mind is occupied with many 
things, and I prefer to be quite alone with my 
troubles. So if I don’t speak to you often you will 
understand how it is.” 

Her eyes drooped. Her hands fumbled for the 
balustrade as if seeking a support, then the next 
moment she turned, and leaving her basket in the 
lurch, scampered off, as if driven by furies. 

“ Strange creature ! ” he muttered, as he looked 


142 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

after her. must be kinder to her. She de- 
serves it.” Then he leant over the balustrade 
again, and gazing into the silver water fancied 
he saw growing there a garden of lilies and crimson 
roses. 


CHAPTER IX 


Lieutenant Merckel was far from being pleased 
at the course events had taken on the day of the 
funeral. He called the Schrandeners poltroons and 
old women, and declared they were unworthy ever 
to have worn the king’s uniform. 

When some one ventured to ask why he had not 
shown himself in it to the procession, and had left 
the mob leaderless at a critical moment, he replied 
that that was a different matter altogether: he was 
an officer, and as such bound only to draw his sword 
in the service of the king. 

The Schrandeners, not accustomed to logical ar- 
gument, accepted the explanation, and promised to 
retrieve their reputation the next time the oppor- 
tunity offered itself. But this did not satisfy Felix 
Merckel. 

‘‘Father,” he said, late one evening when the old 
landlord was counting the cash taken during the 
day, ‘T can’t bear to think that scoundrelly cur 
holds the rank of Royal Prussian officer as I do. I 
am ashamed to have served with him. Our army 
doesn’t want to be associated with people like him. 
It drags the cockade through the gutter, not to 
143 


144 the sins of the FATHERS 

speak of the sword-knot. I know what I’ll do; I’ll 
call him out and shoot him.” 

He stretched his legs on the settle, twisting his 
cavalry moustache with a bland smile. The old man 
let fall, in horrified dismay, a handful of silver that 
he was counting, and the coins rolled away into the 
cracks of the floor. 

‘Telixchen,” he said, “you really mustn’t drink 
so much of that Wacholder brandy. It’s good enough 
for customers, but you, Felixchen, shall have a 
bottle of light wine to-morrow, and perhaps some of 
them will follow your example, and so it won’t cost 
me anything.” 

“Father, you are mistaken,” Felix answered. 
“It’s my outraged sense of honour that gives me no 
peace. I am a German lad, father, and a brave 
officer. I can’t stand the stain on my calling any 
longer.” 

“Felixchen,” said the old man, “go to bed, my son, 
ond you’ll get over it.” 

“Father,” replied his son, “I am sorry to have to say 
it, but you have no conception of what honour is.” 

“Felixchen,” went on the old man, ignoring the 
taunt, “you haven’t enough occupation. If you 
would only look after the bottles — of course the 
barmaid is there for the purpose — ^but it would do 
you good. It would distract your thoughts. Or 
you might go out shooting sometimes.” 

“Where?” 

“Lord bless my soul ! there are the woods and 
forest of Schranden. Whether the hares devour 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 145 

each other, or you annex your share of them, is all 
the same.” 

*‘That won’t do for me, father. I am an officer, 
and don’t wish to be caught poaching.” 

^‘Good gracious, Felixchen, how you talk! Do you 
forget that I am magistrate here. I am not likely to 
sentence you to the gallows. But do as you like, 
my boy. Of course you might go oftener to the 
parsonage. The old pastor enjoys a game of chess ; 
there’s nothing to be gained by chess, I know, but 
some people seem to like it, and then there’s — 
Helene.” 

Ah, Helene ! said Felix, stroking his chin and 
looking flattered. 

The old man examined the artificial fly in the 
centre of his amber heart. 

I have a strong notion that she would be a good 
match if the pastor consented, and she liked you.” 

Why shouldn’t she like me ?” asked Felix. 

‘ Well, there might be some one else who ” 

Felix smiled sceptically. 

^‘Or do you mean that she has already set her 
heart on you ? ” 

Felix shrugged his shoulders. 

You see, Felixchen, that would be a great piece 
of good fortune for us. People are constantly carping 
at the way in which they think I acquired my bit 
of money — without the smallest ground of course. 
If only the pastor gave you his daughter as wife, it 
would stop their mouths once for all. A man like 
Pastor Gotz has great weight and influence. Well 

K 


,145 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

then, as I said, it’s worth while your hanging about 
there a little. Court her, and a fellow like you is 
sure ” 

Dear father, spare me your advice, if you please,” 
interrupted his son. ^‘Whether Helene becomes 
my wife or not, is my own affair. I have not yet 
made up my mind. She has a pretty enough little 
phiz, but she is too thin. She might be fattened 
up with advantage. Then there’s something old- 
maidish about her, something sharp and prudish 
that I don’t quite fancy. For instance, if you put 
your arm round her waist she says, * Ah, dear Herr 
Lieutenant, how you frightened me ! ’ and wriggles 
away. And if you squeeze her arm, by Jokus, she 
screams out directly, ^Oh, dear Herr Lieutenant, 
don’t do that, I’ve got such a delicate skin.’ Of course 
that’s all airs and affectation, and perhaps if a man 
caught hold of her firmly and didn’t give in, she’d 
allow herself to be kissed at last ; but as I say, I 
have not made up my mind, so don't build too much 
on it.” 

The old landlord, who with deft hand was rolling 
up his sovereigns in paper, looked proudly across 
at this magnificent son of his. Then he became 
anxious again. 

And you won't think any more about the duel, 
eh, Felixchen ? That’s all nonsense. . . . You 
wouldn’t go and risk your life so recklessly as 
that.” 

Felix threw back his chest. **In affairs of 
honour, father, please don’t interfere, for you know 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 147 

nothing about them. Directly I can find a respectable 
j second ” 

[ “ What is that, Felixchen ? ” 

I « Why, the man who’ll take the challenge.” 
j Where — to Boleslav?” 

Of course.” 

To the island ? ” 

“ To the island.” 

“ But, Felixchen, what are you thinking about ? 
[ No Christian dare set foot on the island. It swarms 
[ with wolf-traps, bombs, and other deadly instru- 
ments. Look at Hackelberg ; he was caught in one, 
and limps to this day — but never mention it. It 
i mustn’t come out that Hackelberg was ever on the 
! island. Do you see ? ... As I was saying, you 
wouldn’t get any one to go on such a dangerous 
errand — or to come in contact with such a man as 
that. No, my boy, think no more about it There’s 
nothing to be gained by it” 

'^But I wi// challenge him all the same to meet 
me here,” growled Felix. 

The old man contemplated him with the greatest 
:oncern for a few moments, then rose, filled a liqueur- 
glass with peppermint-schnaps, and brought it over 
to him. 

Drink it up, Felixchen,” he said, 'Ht’ll soothe 
you.” Felix obeyed. 

‘‘Leave the matter in the hands of your good, 
honest old father. Trust him to find in the night 
some other means of satisfying your so-called sense 
of honour. Good-night, Felixchen.” 


148 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

“ The good, honest old father ” had not promised 
more than he was able to perform. 

The next morning, when he met his son at the 
breakfast table, he asked in an accent of benevolent 
sympathy — 

‘‘Well, Felixchen, have you slept off all those 
silly notions ? 

Felix grew angry. “ I told you, father, that on 
that subject you were ” 

“Totally ignorant! Very good, my boy. But I 
want to be clear on one point. Is it with the Baron 
von Schranden that you propose to fight a duel, or 
with Lieutenant Baumgart ? “ 

Felix did not answer at once. A suspicion of what 
his father was darkly hinting, dawned on him. 

“ Don’t deal in subterfuges, father,” he said. “ I 
am an upright, simple soldier, and don’t understand 
them.” 

“But, Felix, you needn't be so headstrong. I 
mean well As the Baron von Schranden never 
was an officer, there is no reason why you should 
concern yourself about him ; and as Lieutenant 
Baumgart has proved a swindler, and assumed a 
false name, he is equally beneath your notice.” 

“That is true,” said Felix, spreading honey on 
his bread and butter. “As a matter of fact, I 
oughtn’t to do him the honour of challenging him.” 

Then a new idea seemed to occur to Felix. “ If 
only,” he added fiercely, “ he could be stopped from 
entitling himself lieutenant. That’s what offends 
my sense of honour more than anything.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 149 

His old father seemed prepared with an answer 
to this remark. 

'‘Why should he go on calling himself lieutenant?” 
he asked, grinning and whistling under his breath. 
“Only because his superior officers are kept in 
ignorance of the deception he has practised. If 
they had an inkling of it, they’d be down on him 
fast enough.” 

Felix understood. ‘‘You mean we ought—” 
he began; 

“ Of course we ought.” 

But Felix’s hypersensitive sense of honour again 
felt itself outraged. “ Remember that I am an 
officer, father,” he exclaimed indignantly. “Your 
proposal is in the highest degree insulting.” 

The host shrugged his shoulders. “ Very well ; 
if you don’t wish it, leave it alone,” he said. 

Then the honourable young man saw a way of 
escape. 

“ If only it could be done without a signature,” 
he meditated aloud. 

“That difficulty is easily overcome,” responded 
the old man. “ I have a scheme in my head. Let 
me draw it up. All you’ve got to do will be to sign 
your name with the others at the foot. Then it will 
be only one of many.” 

On the afternoon of the same day, the parish 
crier, Hoffmann, invited all the country's defenders 
in the village to assemble at the Black Eagle. It 
was the merest matter of form, a tribute to the im- 
portance of the business to be discussed, for they 


ISO THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

were certain to have turned up there of their own 
accord sooner or later without an invitation. The 
tables were soon full (Schranden had sent a contin- 
gent of thirty warriors to the War of Liberty) ; and 
when Herr Merckel saw glasses emptying to right 
and left of him, he stepped behind the bar, and ex- 
changing glances with his son, rubbed his hands with 
satisfaction, and began the following harangue : — 

"Dear fellow-burghers, I desire to speak a few 
words to you. You are all brave soldiers, and have 
fought in many a bloody battle for your Fatherland 
in its dire extremity. You must have often been 
thirsty in those days, and have longed for even a 
few drops of dirty ditch-water. It's only to your 
credit, then, that after the heat and burden of the 
war, you turn into the Black Eagle occasionally, for 
a good draught of pale ale. You have earned it 
honestly with the sweat of your brow. Your health, 
soldiers ! ” 

He flourished the mug that he kept specially for 
occasions like the present, and then raised it to his 
mouth, holding it there till he had assured himself 
that no glass had been put down unemptied. Then 
making a sign to the barmaid, he wiped his lips 
energetically, and continued — 

" I, as your Mayor and magistrate, could not 
accompany you to the seat of war, being obliged 
to remain and look after the wants of those who 
stayed at home." A murmur of approval came 
from the audience. " But I am a patriot like you ; 
my warm heart beats true for the honour of the 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 15 1 

Fatherland, just as your hearts do, brave soldiers ! 
Fill up, Amalie, you slow-coach ! Herr Weichert is 
nearly expiring for thirst.” Herr Weichert pro- 
tested, but in vain; his glass was snatched out of 
his hand. ^*And my bosom swells with pride 
when I look at my son, a gallant, upright soldier, 
whom the confidence of his comrades and the 
favour of his king promoted to the rank of officer. 
I speak for you all, I know, when I call three 
cheers for the joy of the village, the dutiful son, 
the good comrade, the brave soldier, and honourable 
officer. Lieutenant Merckel — Hip, hip, hurrah ! ” 

The Schrandeners joined enthusiastically in the 
cheering, and Herr Merckel observed with satis- 
faction that several glasses had again become empty. 
To give Amalie time to fill up, he made an effective 
little pause, in which, in speechless emotion, he fell 
on his son’s breast : then he resumed the thread of 
his discourse. 

*‘A11 the more painful is it, therefore, to see 
that the disgrace you, by your glorious deeds of 
arms, did your best to remove from our beloved 
and highly favoured village, now rests on it again, 
through the presence here of the son of the man 
who wrought it such dire mischief. On the site of 
the fire he is now living with his father's mistress, 
ril not enter into details, but you know, my children, 
what that implies.” 

There was a significant laugh, which changed 
gradually into a sullen muttering. 

‘^Yes, and what's more, this immoral outlaw 


152 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

belongs to our glorious army. Under a false name 
he enlisted in its ranks, and raised himself to the 
position of officer. By lying, and cheating, and 
devilish craft, he succeeded in obtaining what you 
brave, honest fello^ (with the exception of my 
son, of course) comd not attain to. Will you 
tolerate this, you noble Schrandeners ? Will you, 
I say, let a rascally cheat, the son of a traitor, 
continue to look down on you as . his inferiors ? 
Was it for this that his gracious Majesty made you 
free men ? ” 

The moment was a favourable one for drink- 
ing his gracious Majesty’s health, and Amalie, in 
obedience to a signal, began the filling-up process 
anew. Herr Merckel already felt he had. cause to 
congratulate himself on the result of his stirring 
oration. 

*‘No, brave Schrandeners,” he went on, ‘‘such 
a scandal must not be tolerated ! The army must 
be purged of this black spot; otherwise you will 
be ashamed, instead of proud, of calling yourselves 
Prussian soldiers.” 

“Kill him! kill him!” cried several voices at 
once. 

“ No, dear friends,” he replied, with his unctuous 
smirk. “ You mustn’t always be talking of killing. 
I, as your Mayor, cannot countenance that,” shaking 
a warning fat forefinger at them ; “ but I can give 
you wiser counsel. The authorities, naturally, have 
no suspicion of who it is has been masquerading as 
Lieutenant Baumgart ; last spring no one had time 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 153 

to inquire into birth certificates and such-like details. 
But now there will be leisure to investigate the 
case of a Prussian officer passing under an assumed 
name. And the case presses for attention. Do 
you remember the story Johann^ Radtke related in 
this very room, the day he came over from Heide, 
when none of us had the slightest idea of what a 
savage kind of animal his celebrated hero. Lieu- 
tenant Baumgart, really was ? ” 

He was interrupted by a laugh of pent-up hate 
and fury. It proceeded from his son Felix. 

He is said to have tramped home from France 
entirely alone, like a wandering journeyman. He 
had been wounded and taken prisoner, and all the 
rest of it. But mark my words, that signifies more 
than you think. It means that he didn’t get his 
discharge — that he sneaked out of the service like 
a thief in the night, in the same straightforward 
manner as he entered it. And do you know what 
that is in good plain Prussian ? Deserting! It 
means he is a deserter.” 

A cry of jubilation arose, which Herr Merckel 
greeted with profound approval, for, according to his 
ripe experience, shouting rendered the throat dry. 
He let the applause therefore exhaust itself, and 
then went on. 

^Ht is our sacred duty, as genuine patriots and 
intrepid soldiers, to open the eyes of his Highness 
the Commander-General to this young man’s true 
character. We owe it to our King, our Fatherland, 
above all, to ourselves. We’ll get him cashiered out 


154 the sins of the FATHERS 

of our brave army, degraded and ruined. What is 
done to him afterwards, whether he is shot or cast 
into prison, is a matter of indifference to us. We 
are not responsible for him.” 

At the mere suggestion of such a vengeance the 
Schrandeners were beside themselves, and almost 
howled with rage. 

Herr Merckel drew a sheet of paper from his 
breast-pocket. 

I have drawn up a little statement, in which I 
have respectfully lodged a complaint to a Deputy- 
General of high standing and noble birth. If you'll 
allow me, dear friends ” 

He was in the act of unfolding the sheet when a 
still happier thought occurred to him. 

** I could lay the document before you at once and 
ask you to sign it, but then it would be my compo- 
sition, and not yours,” he went on, beaming ; and 
I want every word well weighed and considered, and 
altered if needful. I therefore propose that a com- 
mittee of five comrades be elected from amongst you, 
who shall withdraw with me and my son into the 
best parlour, where we can hold a quiet consultation 
over the wording of the address, while the rest of 
you remain here.” 

Then he gave the names of those he considered 
worthiest of filling this delicate office. They were 
five young men whom he knew to be lavish spend- 
thrifts, and whom he expected to acquit themselves 
honourably in more senses than one. Half in envy, 
half in malice, his choice was agreed to. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 155 

The elected looked rather glum ; then they knew 
what they had been let in for, but at the same time 
they were too flattered by the invitation to decline it. 

Herr Merckel, with the air of solemnity he always 
considered due to any occasion on which the best 
parlour was brought into requisition, flung open the 
door, over which was inscribed the alluring caution, 
fraught with so much significance — “ Only Wine 
drunk here^ 

With a somewhat nervous air the chosen com- 
mittee entered the sanctum of gentility, awkwardly 
twirling their caps in their hands. The last to go 
in was the son of the house. At the door, Herr 
Merckel turned and called out in a loud impressive 
voice — 

Amalie, bring two bottles of Muscat for me and 
the Herr Lieutenant ! ” 

Muscat was a wine made at home, from rum, 
sugar, cinnamon, currant juice, and a judicious 
quantity of water, and was sold to the Schrandeners 
for a thaler the bottle. Herr Merckel ordered two 
bottles, to demonstrate to his customers that he did 
not expect any of them to go shares in a bottle. 

There was now a profound silence in the tap- 
room. Its occupants gazed with serious excited 
faces at the closed door and then at each other. 

Neither did any sound proceed from the reception 
room, where a dumb pitched battle was going on 
between the host and his guests. It was doubtful 
at one time who would come off victor. But a few 
minutes after the barmaid had hurried up from the 


156 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

cellar with the two freshly filled bottles, Herr 
Merckel tore open the door again, and shouted 
triumphantly — 

“ Amalie, five bottles more of Muscat ! ” 

Tongues were loosened. The tension was over. 
As was generally the case, the customers had been 
mastered by the landlord. And soon the dull 
monotonous sound of reading aloud reached the 
ears of the listeners in the tap-room. 

Herr Merckel, senior, when he retired to rest, 
felt that his day had not been wasted. 

His son had abandoned his dangerous project ; 
the fate of the last of the Schrandens had been 
sealed ; and in the cash-box, beyond the usual 
takings, was a surplus of eight thalers and twenty- 
five silver groschens. 

** Thus I have killed three birds with one stone ! ” 
he mused, with a self-satisfied grin, and, folding 
his hands, fell into a gentle slumber. 


CHAPTER X 


Winter had come. It had been preceded by a 
season of decay, inexpressibly cheerless and trying 
to the spirits. Boleslav, who had grown up in 
closest communion with Nature and her moods, 
could never have believed it possible that autumn's 
symbolic melancholy would affect him so profoundly 
and send such deathlike shivers through his limbs. 
The mere calculation of time dismayed and oppressed 
him. 

His evenings began to be dismally long. Solitude 
swooped over his head like a vulture in ever-narrow- 
ing circles, till he began to fancy he felt the chill flap 
of its wings across his face. 

It was strange that he who all his life had been 
much alone from choice, should now, when almost 
every human being was his deadly foe, crave for the 
society of his fellow-creatures. 

He buried himself deeper and deeper in the mass 
of papers and manuscripts, a dreary enough occu- 
pation, without much object unless it were to help 
the hours to drag a little less slowly. He tried 
to convince himself that the portion of the past he 
unearthed from these dust-heaps might be of service 
to him in the future. But in reality he had found 

IS7 


158 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

what was absolutely necessary to his purpose without 
much trouble, and the rest might as well have 
perished in the flames. 

Regina remained tongue-tied, and performed her 
household duties swiftly and noiselessly. She moved 
about his room without lifting her eyes to his face, 
and if he addressed a word to her, shrank away 
with a startled look. But her answers to his 
questions, though given in a hesitating and em- 
barrassed manner, were always clear, comprehensive, 
and to the point. Sometimes days together went 
by without their exchanging a syllable. Yet it was 
on these days he observed her in secret all the more 
closely, watching her as she laid the table, following 
her with his eyes as she crossed the little plot of 
garden and disappeared into the bushes. He caught 
himself constantly wondering what was passing in 
her mind. What did she think about all day long ? 
Was it possible that her whole existence revolved 
round him and his personal comforts, a man who 
was nothing to her, who had not even rewarded her 
labours so far, with a brass farthing ? 

He felt ashamed when he thought of the innumer- 
able self-sacrifices he accepted from her with such 
haughty indifference, and determined to be more 
friendly and conversational towards her in the 
future, so that she might feel the unpleasantness of 
her position less acutely. But a certain unaccount- 
able shyness on his side seemed to hinder his 
putting these good intentions into practice. He no 
longer hated her. His aversion had yielded to 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 159 

something like regard at sight of so much unselfish 
loyalty and untiring industry; and the result was 
that he felt more than ever a constraint in con- 
versing with her. Something came between them, 
a kind of mysterious veil that enveloped her and 
rendered her unapproachable as a stranger. It 
seemed almost as if the spirit of his father hovered 
about her, preventing by its ghostly presence any 
intercourse between them. Sometimes he wondered 
if it were her shame that invested her with that 
strange fascination that vice is said to exercise on 
inexperienced youth. Or was it the magnitude of 
her misfortunes that gave her an unconscious power 
and charm ? 

Often when she brought in his supper, or turned 
back the counterpane from his bed, he would look 
up from his work and endeavour to open a con- 
versation. But his tongue would cleave to the roof 
of his mouth, he could never think of anything to 
talk to her about that was not beneath his dignity. 
So, after all, only curt and harsh commands crossed 
his lips. 

He had remarked for a long time how much more 
careful she had become about her personal appear- 
ance, which had wonderfully improved. She no 
longer went about ragged, unkempt, and dkollet^e^ 
but wore her jacket buttoned up modestly to her 
throat, with the ends neatly tucked under her waist- 
band. A woollen scarf was knotted round her neck 
by way of giving a finish to her costume, and her 
skirt carefully brushed and mended. Her hah did 


i6o THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

not hang about her as formerly, in untidy plaits and 
a hundred rough, loose curls, but was combed 
and neatly dressed. Of a morning the top of her 
head sometimes presented a smooth, polished sur- 
face, the effects of the shower-bath, by means of 
which she brought her unruly mane into sub- 
jection. 

The weather grew bitterly cold, but she still shiv- 
ered in her cotton gown, only throwing on the red 
cross-over when she went into the open air. 

One evening as she was preparing for her regular 
weekly expedition for the purchase of provisions, 
and had come to him for orders, he said — 

“Why have you brought no winter clothes back 
with you yet, Regina 

She looked on the ground and replied — 

“I should like to— only ” 

“Only?” 

“I wasn’t sure whether I might.” 

“Of course you may. You mustn’t freeze.” 

“There’s a ” she began eagerly, then stopped 

and blushed. 

“Well?” 

“There’s a jacket at the shop — blue cloth 
one trimmed with beautiful fur. The shopman 
says ” 

He smiled. “Thank God,” he thought “she is 
beginning to be human at last. A love of finery has 
awakened in her.” 

“What does the shopman say ?” he asked. 

“That it would fit me exactly. And I need 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS i6i 

something warm and comfortable for the long walks. 
But it’s a real lady’s jacket, and ” 

*^A11 the more reason why you should have 
it,” he interrupted, laughing. Don’t come back 
without the jacket, now mind. Good-night, and a 
pleasant journey.” 

With a joyous exclamation she stooped to kiss 
his hand, but he evaded the caress. 

When her footsteps had died away in the dark- 
ness, he took the lamp and went into the green- 
house, which was her private apartment. 

The fire still smouldered on the hearth, but the 
room was icily cold and comfortless. A stray flake 
or two whirled through the holes in the roof, for out- 
side a gentle dusting of snow had begun to fall. 

** Why doesn’t she doctor the laths ? ” he thought, 
and resolved that the next morning he would come 
and lay boards over the weak places. He climbed 
on one of the boxes and tested with a tap the glass 
roofing. Then he understood why Regina pre- 
ferred to sleep half in the open air. The leaden 
framework of the panes had become rotten and 
brittle. At his mere touch the whole decrepit roof 
rattled and trembled in all its joints. Any attempt 
to mend it would bring it down altogether. 

** It’s a positive sin to allow her to be housed like 
this,” he said to himself. 

He went back to his room and drew from under 
his sheets as many of his feather mattresses as he 
could do without, and carried them, with one of his 
pillows, to her wretched resting-place. He carefully 

L 


1 62 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

made up a bed, and then threw her horse-cloth over 
it, so that not a scrap of the bedding was visible. 

That will make her open her eyes,” he thought, 
when, worn out, she comes to throw herself on her 
pallet.” And well satisfied with his evening’s work, 
he returned to his papers. 

The next morning, when he awoke, his walls 
shone with the dazzling reflection of the snow. In 
the night the world had arrayed itself in the garb 
of winter. 

He dressed, and called Regina. There was no 
answer. She had not come back. 

He waited two hours, and then went to prepare 
his own breakfast. Three snow-heaps had collected 
underneath the holes in the glass roof, and a fourth 
was accumulating on the hearth. A greenish twilight 
filled the room. He took the shovel and broom, and 
half mechanically swept the white mounds out at the 
door; then he fetched a sheet of strong cardboard 
that had served as a cover to the stacks of docu- 
ments, cut it into strips, which he cautiously pushed 
through the holes so that they roofed in the bad 
places from the snow. 

That’s the best I can do,” he said, as he 
shivered about the room, which he had now made 
nearly as dark as night. Then, sighing heavily, he 
went to the hearth, and lit the fire. 

The day crept on, and still Regina did not return. 
In all probability the snowstorm would detain her 
at Bockeldorf till the next morning. He felt moped 
to distraction as he sat over his work. Now and 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 163 

then, to vary the dull monotony, he took a walk to 
the Cats* Bridge, over which she was bound to come. 
After he had bolted his cold dinner he did nothing 
but watch the clock, whose hands seemed hardly to 
move. 

He missed Regina at every turn ; for though she 
kept out of his way when at home, he knew he 
had only to whistle to bring her instantly to his 
elbow. 

He put his papers aside, and to change the current 
of his thoughts began to draw. On the back of a 
coachbuilder’s bill of fifty years ago he painted a 
long garden border of stiff rows of stately lilies and 
red roses. First he made a line of lilies, then one 
of roses, then lilies again, and so on until the whole 
resembled some gorgeous carpet. Then he threw 
himself on the creaking sofa, and dreamed of the 
Madonna who presided over that wall of flowers, 
and shed the blessed light of her countenance on all 
who had the courage to penetrate it. 

Already it was dusk. There was a sound of 
footsteps on the cobble-stones before the door. He 
sprang to his feet and hurried out. 

Regina came timidly over the threshold. She was 
laden with bundles and parcels, and covered from 
head to foot with snow ; even the little curls on her 
forehead were powdered white. Her face glowed, 
but there was an expression of fear in her brilliant 
eyes as she lifted them to his. 

ran, Herr, as fast as I could,” she panted, 
laying her right hand on her heart. ** The shopman 


1 64 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

wouldn't let me start till daylight, because he thought 
— the jacket might ” 

She broke off, looking guilty. 

He smiled kindly. He was much too glad to 
know that she was back again to scold her. 

''Go and cook me something hot as quickly as 
you can,” he said. " You'll be glad of your supper 
too.” 

She gazed at him in mute amazement 

" Why don't you go ? ” 

" I will — but, oh I '' And then as if ashamed of 
what she was on the point of saying, she rushed 
past him into the kitchen. 

" She almost claimed her flogging,” he murmured, 
laughing, as he looked after her. 

He was sitting at his desk where he generally 
worked, when she brought in the evening meal. 
The lamp with its green shade cast a subdued 
uncertain light over the apartment. He liked to 
watch her as she moved swiftly to and fro, in and 
out of the shadows. To-day her appearance almost 
frightened him. She looked resplendently, proudly 
beautiful. Not a trace of her former degradation 
was apparent. The once forlorn and half-tamed 
girl might have been taken for a duchess, so grace- 
ful and distinguished were all her movements; so 
pure and full of charm the contour of her young 
erect figure. Was it the neat woollen dress, or 
the new jacket with its silver-grey iMX-^kazdbeikay 
as they called it in Poland — that was responsible 
for the transformation? As she laid the table 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 165 

she smiled to herself a happy shame-faced little 
smile, and every now and then flashed a rapid 
stealthy glance across at him. It was evident she 
wanted to be admired, but dared not attract his 
attention. 

When she came within the circle of light made 
by the lamp, in order to place it on the supper 
table, he turned his eyes quickly away to make 
her think he had noticed nothing. But all the same 
he could not resist letting fall a remark. 

** How conceited we are of our new clothes ! ” he 
said banteringly. 

A vivid blush spread over her face and neck. 

** They are much too good for me," she whispered, 
still smiling, still glancing at him in half-ashamed 
coquetry. But she was not yet daughter of Eve 
enough to take a sidelong peep at herself in the 
glass. 

On going to turn down his bed for the night, she 
was astonished to see how it had diminished in 
size, but gulped back an exclamation of surprise, 
lest he should be annoyed. Then wishing him 
good-night she left the room. 

With a grin of inward satisfaction he thought 
of the great surprise that was in store for her, 
and soon became engrossed in his manuscripts 
again. 

About an hour had elapsed, when he was startled 
by a rustling sound at the back of his chair. He 
turned round and found her standing beside him. 
Her face was very white, her lips trembling, her 


1 66 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


breath coming quick through dilated nostrils. The 
fur collarette was unfastened at the throat, and 
showed the coarse chemise underneath, the folds 
of which rose and fell with her billowing breast. 
In the excitement of the moment she had forgotten 
to arrange her clothing. 

How handsome she is ! ” he thought, filled with 
involuntary admiration of her strange beauty, and 
then he tried not to look at her. 

Now then, what's the matter ? ” he asked in his 
gentlest tones. 

She made an effort to speak, but some moment? 
passed before a sound escaped her lips. 

Oh, Herr / ” she stammered forth at last, ** was 
it you — did you do that with the beds ? " 

Yes, of course. Who else should do it ? " 

But — why — why ? " and she lifted her swimming 
eyes in alarm and consternation. 

Apparently his kindness frightened her. It was 
necessary to adopt a firmer tone in order to become 
master of his own emotions. 

Stupid girl," he said loftily, ‘Mo you think I 
wish you to die out there of cold ? ” 

For a moment she stood like a statue, silent and 
motionless, and big sparkling drops rolled down her 
cheeks. And then suddenly she threw herself at 
his feet, clung to both his hands, and covered them 
with kisses and tears. 

At first he was too unnerved and thrilled at the 
sight of her agitation to speak. He had never 
imagined that she would be so deeply moved. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 167 

Then he collected himself, and withdrawing his 
hands commanded her to rise. 

Don’t make a scene, Regina,” he said. Go to 
bed. Fm sure you must be tired out.” 

She would have wiped her eyes with her sleeve, 
as was her habit, only she remembered the new 
soft fur trimming in time, and so let her tears 
run on. 

** Ah, Herr V' she sobbed. I hardly know what’s 
come over me. But were you really serious? I 
don’t deserve all your kindness. First the beautiful 
jacket, and then when I expected a whipping for 
being gone the whole day — for you to . . . Oh ” 

Say no more. I won’t listen to another word,” 
he insisted. *^You must have some sort of bed. 
Where used you to sleep before ? ” 

She started and cast down her eyes. 

** Before ? ” she murmured. 

^*Yes, in my father’s time.” 

Ah, then, I used to lie on the door-mat or ” 

she paused. 

Or where ? ” 

She still remained silent, and trembled. 

Where ? ” he asked again. 

Her eyes moved shyly in the direction of the 
canopied bed. 

‘^You know; ah, you know, Herr^'' she mur- 
mured. And then overwhelmed with shame she 
covered her face with her hands. 

Yes, he knew. How could he forget it for a 
moment. 


1 68 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


Begone ! ” he cried, his voice shaking with 
anger and disgust, and he motioned her to the 
door. 

Without a word she crept out, her head still 
bowed in her hands. 


CHAPTER XI 


Boleslav was almost happy. He had hit on a 
I new and brilliant idea, and the hopes of carrying it 
^ out brightened for a time the deadening monotony 
I of his existence. He believed he could clear his 
father’s memory. 

j How it had first occurred to him he hardly knew. 
He had found certain letters from Polish noblemen 
addressed to his father, which seemed to suggest 
that the deceased had felt himself bound by a 
hastily-made promise which at the time he had not 
meant seriously, and that a chain of tragic circum- 
stances had compelled him against his will to be a 
party to the treachery. If this did not exonerate 
him from all guilt, it at least put the slandered man 
in a new light — the light of a martyr. 

If by minute study of the documents he could 
trace the affair to its source, and make public a true 
history of the disaster, in which he would demon- 
strate that Eberhard von Schranden, far from having 
played the devilish r61e that rumour attributed to 
him, had only been a victim of circumstances, surely 
there would at least arise some who would hold out 
their hand in remorse to the sufferer’s heir. The 
more he absorbed himself in this task of vindication 


170 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

the more he began to feel united with the dead man, 
and accustomed to the idea of sacrificing his own 
innocent reputation for his sake. 

His brain was so much occupied with these 
schemes that he slept little at night, and in the 
daytime tore about the park like one possessed. 
The less hope he cherished in his secret heart that 
his plan would succeed, the more did he long for 
some human soul into whose ear he could pour his 
doubts and fears. But there was no one to speak 
to but the taciturn woman, who glided past him 
with eyes guiltily cast down. 

One evening, when his solitude almost maddened 
him, he said to her — 

Regina, aren't you frozen in your kitchen ? " 

** I never let the fire out, Herr.^^ 

^^But what do you do in the evening, when it's 
dark?" 

sit by the fire and sew, till my fingers get 
quite stiff." 

** Then you have a light ? " 

** I burn fir-cones." 

He was silent; he gnawed his under-lip, and 
hesitated as to what he should say next. Then he 
took courage. 

Regina, if you like you may bring your sewing 
into the sitting-room, after supper," he said. 

She grew pale, and stammered. out, Yes, Herr'" 
He thought her wanting in gratitude. 

‘*0f course, if you'd rather not — " he said, 
shrugging his shoulders. 


I THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 17 1 

^ Oh, Herr — I should like to come.” 

I *^Very well, then, come; but you must make 
yourself look respectable. Why have you given 
up wearing your new clothes ? ” Since that even- 
ing she had taken to shivering about in the cotton 
; jacket again. 

I I thought it would hurt them.” 

Hurt them ! How ? ” 

I I mean,” she said incoherently, ** that when you 

are angry with me, — such as I, am not fit ” 

1 Nonsense ! ” he interrupted quickly, feeling that 
' if she went on he would be angry with her again. 

After supper she appeared in some trepidation at 
the door. Snowy linen shimmered in her hand. 
She remained standing till he had impatiently in- 
vited her to sit down. 

‘^You want people to stand on ceremony with 
you, as if you were some fine lady,” he said. 

She laughed in confusion. 

am only nervous, Herry because I am not 
quite sure — how to behave.” And she turned to 
her work. 

No more passed between them that evening, and 
it was more than a week before they broke into 
conversation again. 

He sat brooding over his yellow papers, and she 
let her needle fly through the crackling calico. 
When the clock struck eleven, she gathered up her 
sewing, and whispering Good-night,” slipped out 
on tiptoe without waiting for an answer. 

“What are you working at so industriously?” 


172 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

he asked her one evening, after he had watched 
her intently for some minutes. 

She looked up and pushed a curl off her forehead 
with damp fingers. 

'*1 am making shirts for you, Herr^^ was the 
answer. 

So you undertake that too ? ” 

** Who else should do it, //^rr ? ” 

A short silence ; then he questioned her further. 

** Who taught you all you know, Regina ? Your 
mother ? ” 

She shook her head. My mother died very 
young, Herr, I can hardly remember her. People 
say my father beat her to death." 

He thought of the thin pale face and tired eyelids 
in the picture-gallery, of which the last trace had 
perished in the great fire. 

‘^Can you remember what your mother was like?" 
he demanded again. 

She had long black hair, and eyes like mine, at 
least, so Thave heard people say; and I can re- 
member her hair, for she often wrapped me in it 
when I was undressed. I used to sit in it as if 
it were a cloak, and laugh; and when father — " 
She stopped in sudden alarm. “But you won’t 
care to hear more, Herr?'' 

“ Go on, tell me the rest," he exclaimed. 

“And when father came home and wanted to 
beat me, because he was drunk, you know, she 
stood in front of me, and told me to get under her 
dress ; and inside her dress it was like being in a 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 173 

cave, quite dark and still, and father’s swearing 
sounded a long, long way off. And then she died. 
It was on a Sunday — yes, it was on a Sunday. 
For I was standing by the hedge and wondering 
whether she’d have a beautiful coffin — a green one, 
like the coffin on the trestle in the garden — when 
you, Herr^ went by on your way to church. At 
that time you were little, like me, and you had on 
a blue coat with silver buttons, and a little sword at 
your side; and you stopped and asked me why 
I was crying, and I couldn’t answer, I was so 
frightened, and then you gave me an apple.” 

He had not the smallest recollection of the in- 
cident, but he remembered how he had taken the 
young sparrow away from her, and related the 
story. She had not forgotten it. Her eyes be- 
came illumined, as if lost in contemplation of some 
blissful sight. 

** I wonder, now, that you gave it up so meekly,” 
he said. 

How could I have done otherwise ? ” she 
answered. 

** You might easily have refused,” he said. 

She bent over her work. I was only so glad 
for you to have it,” she said, in a low soft voice. 
^Ht’s not often that a poor little village girl gets 
the chance of giving anything to a rich young 
nobleman.” 

He bit his lips. Truly he had taken more from 
her since than his pride and manliness should have 
permitted. 


174 the sins of the FATHERS 

**And besides/' she went on, ^'even if I hadn't 
wanted to give it to you, it was yours by right. 
You were the Junker.^^ 

How perfectly natural the argument sounded 
from her lips. 

Regina, tell me honestly," he said, if you 
haven't entirely forgotten the days when you ran 
wild in the village." 

“Oh no, Herr; indeed I haven't," she replied, 
with an almost roguish smile. “ For instance, I 
remember a great many things about the gnddiger 
Junker'^ 

He withdrew far back into the shadow of the 
lamp-shade. “ What splendid stuff she has in 
her ! " he thought, and devoured her with his eyes. 
And then he made her relate all her reminiscences 
of him at that time. He did not appear in a very 
amiable light. Once he had pushed her into a duck- 
pond ; another time sent her floating down the river 
in a flour-vat, till her cries of terror had brought 
people to the bank with life-saving apparatus ; when 
she had on a new white frock, given her by the 
Castle housekeeper, he had painted her hands and 
face with white chalk, and told her to stand motion- 
less like one of the statues in the Park. She had 
submitted meekly till the chalk got into her mouth 
and eyes and made them smart, and then she had 
burst out crying and run away. 

She recalled all this with beaming eyes, as if his 
pranks had been a source of infinite happiness to 
her. Although when reminded of such and such 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 175 

an escapade he recollected it perfectly, he could not 
remember that it was Regina who had been the 
victim of his caprice. A sensation of shame rose 
within him. Instead of the dreamy, generous 
young cavalier he had been in the habit of pictur- 
ing himself, he saw a cruel little village tyrant, who 
exercised his power over his small contemporaries 
with a relentlessness that was almost vicious. 

“And did I make no amends for my wicked 
deeds ? ” he inquired, hoping to hear he had at 
least been capable of doing good sometimes. 

“ Oh, you used to give us things,” she answered. 
“ * Divide that,* you used to say, and scatter on 
the ground either apples and nuts, or broken tin 
soldiers, or a handful of counters. But, of course, 
the strongest and biggest got everything. Felix 
Merckel was the best at a scramble ; the girls only 
had the leavings.” 

“And did you ever get anything from me, 
Regina ? ** he asked. 

She flushed scarlet, and bowed lower over her 
work. “ Yes, HerVy once I ” she said softly. 

“ What was it ? ” 

She was silent, and dared not lift her eyes. 

“Good heavens! why do you look so ashamed 
about it ? ** 

“ Because — I . . . have it still.” 

“Oh, not really!” He smiled. A feeling of 
pleasure shot through him. 

Without answering, she felt in the pocket of her 
dress, and laid before him on the table a little straw 


1/6 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

box plaited out of coloured blades. It was hardly 
bigger than a baby^s fist. 

He held it in his hand, and examined it all over 
attentively. Something rattled inside. 

** May I open it ? " 

**You needn^t ask, Herr T' 

It was a ring of glass beads — blue, white, and 
yellow, such as a little girl, following the first in- 
stincts of vanity, threads for herself. He took it 
out, and tried to force it on his little finger, but it 
was far too narrow, and he couldn^t get it over his 
nail. 

** Did I give you the ring too ? ” he asked. 

“No, Herr^ it belonged to my dear mother. It 
cut into her flesh once, and that's why I used to 
wear it day and night till the thread broke. Then 
she had been dead a long time, and as it was the 
only keepsake I had of her, I threaded the beads 
again, and have never parted with the ring, and I 
always have it on me.'' 

“ In my little box ? ” 

She nodded, and her head drooped. “Why 
shouldn't I, Herr ? " she said in a whisper, “ it brings 
me luck.” 

He looked at her with a compassionate smile. 
“ Luck ? Brings you luck ? ” 

“I’ll tell you how, Herr'' she exclaimed trium- 
phantly. “ Every bead you count '' 

But at that moment he leant back in his chair, 
and the ring slipped through his fingers on to the 
floor. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 177 

Regina started up and hurried round the table to 
pick it up, but could not find it. 

^‘The earth seems to have swallowed it up,” she 
said in alarm, and she dropped on to all fours close 
by Boleslav's side. 

He saw the nape ef her beautiful neck with its 
fringe of crisp, dark curls, gleaming near his knee. 
His heart began to beat, a cold shiver thrilled 
through his limbs. He stared down on her with a 
fixed smile. 

** Here it is ! ” she exclaimed, and raised herself 
into a kneeling position to hand him the treasured 
bauble. 

He lifted his hand. He felt as if some occult 
power had lifted it for him, and that it weighed 
hundreds of pounds. Then with a timid, caressing 
touch he laid it on her cheek. 

She drew back trembling. A great light swam 
in her eyes, that rested on him in dreamy inquiry. 
His arm sank heavily to his side. 

Thank you,” he murmured hoarsely. 

She went back to her place, and there was a 
profound stillness. It seemed to him that he had 
committed a crime, and that every moment of silence 
between them made it worse. He must force himself 
to speak. 

** What was I asking you ? Ah ! to be sure. Who 
taught you to sew ? ” 

She had unthreaded her needle, and was trying 
hard to pull the cotton through the eye again. 
But the small glittering shaft oscillated between 

M 


178 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

her unsteady fingers like a reed shaken by the 
wind. 

learnt at the parsonage, Herr^* she replied. 

Helene had a class She paused, embarrassed, 

for at the sound of the beloved name, which he heard 
for the first time from her lips — such lips — he winced 
as if from the lash of a whip. She took his excite- 
ment for anger, and added apologetically, mean 
the Pastor's daughter." 

Never mind," he said, controlling himself with 
difficulty. Go to bed now.” 

That night Boleslav fought a severe battle with 
himself. He felt as if his ideal of exalted purity 
had been polluted since his eyes had rested with 
favour on this abandoned woman. And he himself 
was polluted too by that involuntary caress. 

It was absolutely necessary to regain his peace of 
mind and purity. He must come to some distinct 
understanding with Helene without delay, in order 
that he might be strengthened in his struggle against 
his treacherous senses and benumbing doubt. 

So urgent did it seem that his resolutions should 
at once be put into force, that he rose in the middle 
of the night, and by the glimmer of his night-light 
wrote to Helene assuring her of his undying love 
and eternal devotion, and imploring her to make 
some sign to show that she stood by him in trouble 
as she had once done in happiness, so that he might 
know for certain it was worth while his continuing 
to wage for her sake the fight against such enor- 
mous odds. With every line he wrote, his anxiety 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 179 

lessened, and when he lay down in his bed again, he 
felt that, through bracing his energies for the task, 
he had relieved himself of a load of care that had 
long heavily oppressed him. 

Can you undertake, Regina,^' he asked the next 
evening, to deliver this letter unseen to the Frau- 
lein at the parsonage ? " 

She regarded him for a second with wide eyes, 
then looking down, she murmured, Yes, Herr,^^ 

‘^But supposing they attack you down in the 
village ? ” 

“ Pah ! What do I care for them ?” she exclaimed, 
shrugging her shoulders contemptuously, as she 
always did when the villagers were in question. 

Soon afterwards he saw her glide by the window 
like a shadow and disappear in the gloaming. 

Hours passed. She did not return. He began 
to reproach himself for having engaged her in his 
amatory mission when her life was at stake. 

At last, towards midnight, he heard the front door 
latch click. 

She appeared on the threshold with chattering 
teeth, blue with cold, the letter still grasped in 
her cramped fingers. 

He made her sit down by the stove, and gave her 
Spanish wine to drink — and gradually she found her 
voice. 

** I have been lying all this time in the snow 
under the parsonage hedge,'’ she said, “but there 
was no possibility of getting at her. Just now she 
put the light out in her bedroom, so I came home. 


i8o THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

But don’t be vexed, Herr. Perhaps I shall have 
better luck to-morrow.” 

He wouldn’t hear of her repeating the adventure, 
but when she came to him the following evening 
equipped for her walk, he did not forbid her to go. 

This time she came back with glowing cheeks, 
panting for breath. Two peasants on their way 
home from the Black Eagle had seen her and given 
chase. 

*^But to-morrow, Herry to-morrow, I shall suc- 
ceed.” 

She was right. More breathless than the evening 
before, but radiant with delight, she came into the 
room, and stood at the door, stretching out two 
empty hands in triumph. 

“ Thank God,” he thought, ** that I shan’t have to 
send her a fourth time on a fool’s errand.” 

In joyous excitement she told him all about it. 
Sultan, the big dog in the kennel, knew her ; and as 
a hostage she had taken him a bone, then he had 
permitted her to stand at the back door and look 
through the keyhole. She had seen Helene standing 
at the great store-cupboard. ** I knew that Helene, 
— I mean the pastor’s Fraulein, — went to the store- 
cupboard every night to put out coffee and oatmeal 
for the morning,” she explained, ** and sure enough 
I just timed her right, for there was her candle 
flickering in my face, and she standing within three 
steps of me ” 

He gave a deep sigh. Happy creature 1 She had 
seen her I 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS i8i 

I opened the back door very softly, and called, 

* Helene, Fraulein Helene ! ' And when she caught 
sight of me, she screamed and let the candle fall. 
‘ Helene,* I said, ' I am not going to hurt you. Here 
IS a letter from Junker Boleslav.’ 

** She trembled so, she could hardly take the letter 
out of my hand. And then she shrieked in horror, 

* Go ! Go once ! ’ And almost before I could tell 
her about the letter-box on the drawbridge, she had 
slammed the door and bolted it in my face. Ah, 
dear God ! ” she added with a melancholy little 
smile. I am used to being treated in that way, but 
she might have been kinder because I brought a 
message from you ! ” 

He leant his head on his hands. Helene’s con- 
duct gave him food for meditation. Of course her 
reception of her fallen playmate was in every way 
excusable. No wonder that her chaste and maidenly 
soul revolted at the sight of this unfortunate girl ! 

Every day Regina now ran down to the draw- 
bridge to peep into the letter-box that was fastened 
to a pillar there, to see if there was an answer from 
Helene. But the letter-box remained empty; and 
Boleslav’s brighter mood soon clouded again. He 
became more bitter and defiant than ever, and a 
prey to tormenting reflections. In his pride he 
would not allow that he had been spurned by the 
woman he loved; yet it was hardly any longer a 
matter for doubt that she wished in no way to be 
associated with him in his dishonour. He saw his 
great plans for the future fall in ruins in this 


1 82 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

abandonment of hope of winning the love of His 
youth. 

Many days went by before he roused himself 
from this fresh depression — it was not till the 
feverish unrest of waiting had subsided that he 
slowly recovered his calmness and fortitude. 

Then he threw himself with renewed energy into 
the search for proofs of his father’s innocence. 
The evidence was contradictory and confused. 
Letters in which his father was referred to as 
the staunchest of Prussian patriots were counterbal- 
anced by others in which he was addressed as the 
pioneer of Polish liberty. That might possibly have 
been a mere figure of flattering speech, designed to 
win over the vacillating nobleman, but to make it 
public’ would be once more putting the deceased’s 
reputation in the pillory. 

During these disheartening investigations of the 
truth, his only refreshment was the evening hours 
in which Regina’s presence gave him something 
else to think about. So soon as she came and sat 
down opposite him he felt a curious satisfaction 
mingled with uneasiness. Sometimes, before she 
made her appearance, and he with bowed head 
listened to the sounds that came from her kitchen, 
he would be suddenly seized with anxiety, and feel 
as if he must jump up and call out, *^Stay where 
you are ! Don’t come ! ” And yet, when she walked 
into the room he breathed more freely. It is 
loneliness that attracts me to her,” he often told him- 
self. She has a human face and a human voice.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 183 

As she sat over her work silently putting in stitch 
after stitch, he would pretend to be napping, and 
with closed eyes listen to the rise and fall of her 
breath. It was a full, slow, muffled sound, which 
fell on his ear like suppressed music. It resembled 
the ebbing and flowing of an ocean of restrained 
life and energy. After she had been sitting for a 
long time in a stooping attitude she would suddenly 
straighten herself, and stretch her arms with closed 
fingers over the sides of the chair, till the curve 
of her bosom stood out in powerful grandeur, and 
threatened to burst its bonds. It was as if from time 
to time she was obliged to become conscious of the 
fulness of life that pulsated and throbbed within her. 

Then she resumed her old attitude and quietly 
sewed on. 

It lasted all too short a time. These hours spent 
in her society had unconsciously become dear to 
him, and almost indispensable. The lamp seemed 
to give a brighter light since its rays fell on that 
pile of shining white linen ; the hand of the clock 
accelerated its pace now he was not always looking 
at it to hurry it onwards. The wind that used to 
howl and whistle so dismally in the branches of the 
trees now murmured soft lullabies, and even the 
laths in the rotten roof cracked less ominously. 
He dreaded the evenings when at dusk she started 
on her journey to Bockeldorf, and more than once 
had meditated accompanying her. 

But in their relations, that had become so friendly, 
there was one blot, and the knowledge of it pierced 


1 84 the sins of the FATHERS 

him at times like a poisonous arrow. Often, after 
he had been watching her in silence, he was tor- 
mented with a desire to penetrate into the secrets 
of her past, and to cross-examine her on the subject 
of her intercourse with the dead. For long he kept 
back the questions that burned on the tip of his 
tongue, feeling that little good could come of asking 
them ; but at last he felt driven to speak. 

** She is the only living witness of the catastrophe,” 
he thought ; what’s more, the only accomplice. 
She alone can give authentic information.” 

And one evening he broke the silence which had 
been so enjoyable to both, with a brusque demand 
that she should tell him all she knew. 

She changed colour, and dropped her hands in 
her lap. 

** You’ll only be angry with me again, Herr^^ she 
stammered. 

Do as I bid you.” 

She still hesitated. It’s ... so long ago,” she 
whispered piteously, “ and I don’t know how to tell 
things.” 

But you can at least answer questions.” 

Then she resigned herself to fate. 

‘^Who was it that first suggested to you the 
midnight sortie ? ” 

‘‘ The gnddiger Herr'' 

He clenched his teeth. ** When and how ? ” 

The gnddiger Herr ordered me to wait at table. 
The great candelabra, that was hardly ever lit as a 
rule, was burning, and shone on the gold uniforms 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 185 

of the French officers, and it was all so dazzling 
I felt quite giddy when I carried the soup into the 
hall. They all laughed and pointed at me, and 
spoke in French, which I didn’t understand.” 

** How many were there ? ” 

“Five, and one with grey hair, who was the 
General, and had the most gold on his coat; and 
when I brought him the soup he caught hold of me 
round the waist, and I put the plate down on his 
finger and pinched it. Then they all laughed again, 
and the gnadiger Herr said, ' Don’t be so clumsy, 
Regina.’ I felt so ashamed and vexed at his saying 
that that I said, quite loud, I didn’t see why I should 
wait if I was only to be scolded for it. Then they 
laughed louder than ever, and the General began to 
speak German, like little children speak it. ^You 
are a plucky, pretty little girl,’ he said; and the 
gnadiger Herr told him I was a girl who might 
prove useful to him and them all — or something of 
the kind. And when I brought in the liqueur at 
the end of dinner, he drew me down to him and 
whispered in my ear. I was to go to him in the 
night.” 

He started up. “And you went ? ” 

She cast down her eyes. 

“ Ah, Herr^^ she said imploringly, “ why do you 
ask me ? I wish you wouldn’t. I had often done 
it before, and I saw no harm in it then.” 

He felt his blood boiling. 

“ How old were you at that time ? ” 

“ Fifteen.” 


1 86 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

** And so corrupt — so ” His voice died away 

in wrath. 

She cast an unspeakably sad and reproachful 
glance at him. 

I knew you*d be angry,” she said, ** but I can’t 
make myself out better than I am.” 

** Continue your story,” he cried. 

**And when I went to him at midnight he was 
still up, striding round the table, and he asked me 
if I should like to earn a great sum of money. * Of 
course, gnddiger Herr^ I said, * I should like it very 
much,* for then I was very poor. Whereupon he 
asked me if I was afraid of the dark. I laughed, 
and said he ought to know best ; and after a few 
more questions it came out what he wanted me to 
do. Could I be trusted to show the French the way 
over the Cats' Bridge and through the wood in an 
hour? I began to cry, for the French had behaved 
dreadfully since they had been quartered in the 
Castle, running after and insulting all the servant- 
girls, and I was afraid they might insult me too.” 

*‘Oh, you were afraid of that, were you?” he 
interposed with a contemptuous smile. 

^*Yes; and I told the gnddiger Herr nothing 
would induce me to do it. But then he became 
terribly angry, and thumped me on the shoulders 
till I sank on my knees, and he cried out that I was 
an ungrateful hussy, and that he would have me 
sent back to the village in disgrace, and would tell 
the Herr Pastor what sort of a wench I was, and 
he would make me confess and do penance; and 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 187 

then he took me by the throat, and when he had 
almost throttled me, and I could scarcely draw a 
breath, then, then ...” 

‘‘Say no more,*’ interrupted Boleslav; and seiz- 
ing the letters that were to establish his father’s 
innocence, he tore them to pieces. 


CHAPTER XII 


The next morning he took one of the guns out of 
the case, and wandered into the snowy forest. He 
tramped about the whole day without meeting a 
single human creature. The deer and hares were 
left in peace, for he stared beyond them into 
vacancy. At dusk he turned his footsteps home- 
wards, dispirited and worn out. 

He saw Regina standing like a statue on the 
Cats’ Bridge looking out for him. At first she 
looked as if she intended to run and meet him, 
but she changed her mind, and took the path to 
the house, smiling and murmuring to herself as 
she went. 

But when she brought in his meal she was as 
silent as usual. He sat without looking at her till 
a sound like a short convulsive sob roused him 
from his reverie. 

What’s the matter with you ? " he asked. 

Without answering, she ran out of the room. 
He made a movement as if he were about to follow 
her ; then set his teeth and sat down again. A dull 
resentment devoured him. He could not forgive 
her for depriving him of the illusion on which for 
weeks he had been building so many vague hopes. 


, THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 189 

1 Now there was nothing for it but to drink the 
j cup of degradation to the dregs, no matter how 
S bitter the bottom might taste. 

I In a little while Regina appeared again, in her 
j outdoor things. 

You wish to go out to-night, then ? ” he asked 
I harshly. 

She kept her head half averted, so that he should 
I not see she had red eyes. 

** To-morrow is Christmas, Herr — the holy feast 
I day; and the grocer says that on Christmas night 
i he would rather not be disturbed.” 

Christmas ! holy feast ! How strange and like 
I a fairy tale that sounded. Then there was still 
i rejoicing and festivity going on in the world ! 

: People still Joined hands and frolicked round glit- 
! tering fir-tree ! 

^‘You wish to get your Christmas presents, I 
suppose, Regina ? ” he inquired, smiling bitterly. 

*‘Oh no, Herr^' she replied. “That has never 
been the custom here. Besides, now I should take 
no pleasure in such things.” 

“ Why not ? ” 

She hesitated, and then said in some embarrass- 
ment, “ Let me go, HerrP 

“ I have a great deal to ask you yet, Regina.” 

“ Please, not now, else ” 

“ Very well, go.” 

“ Good-night, Herr^ 

“ Good-night.” Then he called her back. “ Tell 
me first, what did that sob mean Just now.” 


190 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

A ray of half-ashamed happiness shone in the 
eyes that were swollen from weeping. 

Can’t you guess, Herr ? ” 

He shook his head. 

“I had been so anxious about you. I thought 
perhaps you weren’t coming back, and then when 

you did ” She turned and fled through the 

door. Her footsteps died away in the night. . . . 

The following morning Boleslav was awakened 
by a great rushing and roaring that had for some 
time mingled with his dreams. A terrific storm 
was raging. The topmost branches of the poplars 
lashed each other in fury. Huge white clouds 
were swept along the ground, but the air was 
clear. Another fall of snow seemed improbable. 
To-day he could not rest in the desolate, cold little 
house, and went out to wrestle with the elements. 

‘‘She will have a bad time of it,” he thought, 
as the north wind hurled in his face a shower of 
fine icicles that pricked like needles and almost 
took his breath away. In the wood it was more 
sheltered. There the tempest crashed and crunched 
in the tops of the trees, seeming to vent all its 
fury on them. He walked on, not knowing where 
he was going, and then found himself on the road 
to Bockeldorf. 

“It looks as if I were running after her,” he 
murmured, chiding himself ; and he struck into the 
pathless thicket. 

He thought how remarkable it was that this 
degraded being should creep so much into his 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS igi 


i 


thoughts. Of course it was because he had been 
thrown with her day after day, and depended 
upon her entirely for human society. Yet he was 
alarmed, for he realised now, perhaps more than 
he had ever done before, how he felt himself every 
day more drawn towards her, and how much there 
was in her that began to appear comprehensible, 
excusable, and even noble, that once had only 
seemed to testify to her innate coarseness, and 
repelled him from her in disgust. 

But without a doubt contact with her was doing 
him no good. She was drawing him down into the 
slough of her own worthless existence. 

Something must be done. Above all, it was 
necessary to stand in less familiar relations with 
her, to repress her, and lower her again to her 
old position of humble and despised servant-girl. 
The festival of Christmas was a good opportunity 
of paying her off with a loan, the handsomeness 
of which would discharge his obligations to her 
for all time. With a stroke of the pen he would 
provide for her future, and thereby purchase the 
right to regard her as what she actually was — 
his humble dependant and menial. She should 
give him her company to-day for the last time. 
She had not yet finished her evidence, and as he 
had once broken the ice he might as well know 
everything. Of those two awful nights of guilt 
and shame, in which she had been a witness of 
bloodshed and arson, he would hear the worst. 

‘^And then when she has confessed all/’ he 


192 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

said to himself, “she shall keep to her green-house, 
which is her proper place, even if she has to burn 
all the timber in the park to prevent herself from 
freezing.” 

It was not seemly that in this solitude he should 
associate so much with her, and he made up his 
mind to put an end to the intimacy once for all. 

A hare crossed his path and turned his thoughts 
into another channel. He aimed and hit it. The 
little animal rotated three times, and then lay 
motionless on its nose. 

“She will be pleased,” he thought, as he slung his 
booty over his shoulder. Ah ! there he was thinking 
of her again already. 

The sky meanwhile had clouded. A sharp 
shower of prickly white flakes cut through the trees ; 
a wild hiss now mingled with the roar of the wind 
that made him shiver involuntarily in every limb. 
By aid of his compass he found the way home. 
When he entered the open fields the snow-storm was 
in full swing. He could scarcely stand against it. 
The air was dark with the falling masses of snow. 
There was not a trace visible of the shrubs in the 
park only three hundred feet away. 

“It’s to be hoped she’s got home,” he thought, as 
he struggled on. 

Freshly fallen snow lay thick on the Cats’ Bridge ; 
there were no footprints in it, but they might easily 
have been obliterated. 

With a sinking heart, he ran to the house and 
called her by name, but got no answer. The 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 193 

hearth was unswept, the fire out, the beds unmade 
as he had left them. 

She had been overtaken by the storm, that she 
feared more than she feared the Schrandeners. A 
torturing uneasiness took possession of him. He 
rushed from one room to the other, lit the fire and 
extinguished it again, tried to eat, and then threw 
down his knife and fork impatiently. It struck him 
as ludicrous that he should be so anxious. Had 
she not for six winters gone backwards and for- 
wards in wind and rain and snow, and never yet 
met with an accident ? Why should anything 
happen to her to-day? To kill time he sat down 
to his desk, and with numb fingers made out a 
cheque. The sum amounted to three figures. 
Regina ought to be satisfied. 

Darkness set in. The hand of the clock pointed 
to three, and yet it was already like night. He 
could contain himself indoors no longer. He would 
at least go as far as the Cats’ Bridge and see if there 
was any sign of her. To prevent the wind pitching 
him over, he was obliged to hold on with all his 
might to the balustrade. The rickety woodwork 
shook in all its joints. On the ice beneath him 
danced a maze of spiral patterns; lily-stems grew 
upwards and sank again in heaps of white dust, 
which in their turn were whirled away to make 
room for other fantastic forms. The Madonna’s 
garden rose for a moment and then vanished; for 
a figure drew nearer and nearer out of the twilight, 
casting its shadow before it. 

N * 


194 the sins of the FATHERS 

Regina, thank God ! ” 

He was on the point of rushing to meet her, when 
he was overcome with a sensation of shame that para- 
lysed his limbs and drove the blood to his heart. 

On this very spot where he now waited for her, 
she had yesterday waited for him ; looking out into 
the dusk because she had not been able to rest for 
anxiety about him, just as to-day he could not rest 
for anxiety about her. 

For a moment he felt a strong inclination to dive 
behind the bushes, so that she should not see him ; 
but the next he was ashamed of being ashamed, and 
stepped forward to meet heron the Cats’ Bridge. 

**You have had a bad time of it, Regina,” he 
called out ; and tried to relieve her of the sack she 
carried on her back. 

But she quickly dodged him, holding out her 
elbows in protest. She was muffled to the eyes in 
shawls, and could not speak. They walked to the 
door in silence. On the threshold she turned and 
tore the wraps from her face. 

I have a favour to ask, Herr^^' she said breath- 
lessly. 

Well, what is it ? ” 

Would you mind staying out another half-hour, 
or going into the kitchen, so that I can warm the 
room and tidy up a little ? ” 

** But you must rest first.” 

** Not now, Herr^ if you don’t mind.” 

And she went in, letting her burdens fall to the 
floor in the darkness. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 195 

* She may bustle about in there for a few 
minutes if she likes,” he thought; and turned to 
look for a temporary shelter among the ruins. 

Warm air ascended from the cellars. He struck 
a light, and went down the slippery steps. He felt 
curiously light-hearted almost, as if Christmas had 
brought him joy. 

The rows of wine-bottles with their red and green 
labels peeped at him festively from their places. 

‘^She shall not forget it's Christmas,” he said, 
smiling ; and drew from the farthest niche where 
the treasure of treasures was stored, two or three 
bottles covered with dust and cobwebs. In these 
reposed a nectar which had not seen the light since 
an eighteenth-century sun had shone on it. 

His latest resolution occurred to him. Of course, 
he had not meant to put it into force till to-morrow 
— not on Christmas evening, when people consort 
together, who at other times are not congenial to 
each other. On Christmas evening no one ought 
to be lonely and sorrowful. 

Obedient to Regina’s wishes, he patrolled the 
ruins for half-an-hour beneath a roof of sparkling 
icicles. Then he put the bottles under his arm, 
and staggered out into the stormy night. 

As he approached his dwelling, he saw with 
amazement that the shutters were closed, a thing 
that had never happened before. His first thought 
was that the storm had penetrated the chinks, but 
on nearer view be learnt they were still weather- 
proof. Not till he stood in the vestibule did he 


196 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

find a happy solution to the problem. Regina met 
him beaming, and half-ashamed, and threw the par- 
lour door wide open. Astounded at what he saw, 
he remained rooted to the spot. He was greeted 
by a festive shimmer of candles and a fragrant odour 
of firs. In the centre of the dining-table, covered 
with its pure white cloth, stood a Christmas tree, j 
adorned with wax tapers and gilded apples. The j 
whole apartment was brilliantly illuminated. ; 

Never in his life before had a Christmas tree 
been lit for him. Only from the thresholds of , 
strangers had he sometimes looked on with dim i 
eyes at strangers' happiness. And where was 
Regina ? She had retreated behind him, and i 
stood in the remotest corner of the vestibule, 
watching him with shy yet proud delight. 

He took hold of her hand and led her into the 
room. 

Who put it into your head, child ? ” he asked. 

The grocer’s wife was trimming her Christmas 
tree when I got there at three o’clock, and I thought 
it so pretty I said to myself, he shall have his tree 
too, and shall know that there is at least one person 
to think of him. 1 asked her to show me how to 
gild apples, and gilded a supply while I was there, 
and bought the lights and got a sack to put the i 
tree in, so that you shouldn’t see it.” ' 

And who gave you the tree ? ” 

** I cut it down myself at the edge of the forest 
not far from here.” ' , 

** In the middle of this storm ? ” i 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 197 

She laughed contemptuously. ‘‘A little wind 
wouldn’t hinder me, Herr^ And then with a sudden 
outburst of joyous ecstasy, she exclaimed, ** Oh, just 
look, I/err, how beautifully it burns ! How pious it 
looks. Hasn’t it really a sort of pious face, as if an 
angel had brought it ? ” 

He assented, laughing, and expressed his thanks 
in a few words of forced condescension, for he was 
afraid of being too gracious. 

But she was more than satisfied. ** Why should 
you thank me, HerrP** she asked reproachfully. 
** It’s all bought with your money. I have none. I’m 
only a poor girl. Else, ah, else — ” She threw up 
her hands and clasped them above her head. 

The cheque came into his mind. This is to show 
you,” he said, handing it to her, “ that I have thought 
of your Christmas too.” 

She looked at him in bewilderment. ^*Am I to 
read it ? ” she asked, respectfully taking the piece of 
paper between two of her fingers. After studying 
it carefully, she still looked perplexed. 

** Don’t you understand what it is ? ” he asked. 

** Oh yes — I understand . . . But to begin with, 
you can’t be in earnest. And even if you are, . . . 
what good is it to me ? ” 

“It will provide for your future.” 

“ My future is provided for. ... I have all I want. 
Good food, . . . and I am dressed like a lady. What 
can I possibly want besides ? ” 

“But we may not go on living always together 
like this;” 


,1 


198 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

She gave a cry of dismay. ^*Are you thinking | 
of packing me off, Herr?'' she asked with tightly 1 
clasped hands. \ 

Not now. But suppose I were to die.” ! 

She shook her head meditatively. ** I should die 
too,” she said. ’ 

** Or I might have to go to the war again ? ” ; 

Then I should go with you as a vivandi^re.” 

Her persistence annoyed him. Do as you 
like,” he said, only take what I give you.” 

A bright idea seemed to occur to her. 

** All right, Herr^' she exclaimed, I'll take it, 
only next Christmas I shall buy you something with 
it, that will be worth having.” And happy at the 
thought, she scampered away. 

The Christmas-tree had burnt out. It stood now 
dark and neglected in the corner by the stove, only 
occasionally casting a glimmer from its golden fruit 
on the table where master and servant sat opposite 
each other. 

Regina had been accorded permission to take her 
supper with him this evening, and had been too 
overcome to swallow a mouthful. She was almost 
stunned with this great and unexpected pleasure. 

Now the dishes were cleared away, and only 
bottles and glasses stood between them. She drank, 
thoughtlessly, of the old fire-kindling wine in long im- 
moderate draughts. Her face began to glow. The 
pupils of her brilliant eyes seemed to melt beneath 
their drooping lids. She rocked to and fro on her 
chair. A wild abandon had relaxed her in every limb. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 199 

** Are you tired, Regina ? ” 

She shook her head impatiently. For once her 
constraint in his presence had disappeared. There 
was something even approaching audacity in the 
brilliancy of her glance as she turned it on him from 
time to time. She was intoxicated with happiness. 
He too felt the wine flame up in him ; and his eyes 
were riveted on her figure, which swayed before 
him with the graceful motions of a Maenad. 

All the time the tempest raged outside. It 
whistled in the chimney and hurled a rattling fusi- 
lade against the window shutters. There was a 
grinding and crunching among the rafters of the 
roof, which sounded as if the mouldy wood were 
collapsing. 

I am afraid something will be blown down,” he 
.said as he listened. 

** Maybe,” she answered with a dreamy smile, 
huddling herself together. And then she began to 
babble in a fragmentary but quite unrestrained 
fashion. Perhaps it isn’t good for me, Herr'' 
she said, that you are so kind to me. All my life 
I have never got anything but blows and abuse — 
first from my father, then from him^ not to mention 
other people. But if you spoil me, HerVy I shall 
get proud — and pride is a great vice, I have heard 
the Pastor say — I shall begin to think I’m a princess 
who needn’t earn her bread.” 

She burst into a peal of wild laughter, and let her 
arms fall to her sides. Then in a low tone, as if 
conversing with herself, she went on — 


200 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

** Sometimes I do wonder if I am only a servant. 
I often feel really as if I were some enchanted 
princess, and you, Herr^ the knight who is to 
deliver me. Will you be the knight ? ” 

She blinked at him over her wine-glass. He 
nodded in friendly acquiescence. Let her revel in 
her strange fancies. It was Christmas. 

“ There have been cases," she continued, in 
which princesses have been turned into quite com- 
mon sluts. They have had stones thrown at them, 
and been spat at, and men have called after them, 
* Strike her down, the dirty slut ! ’ And all the 
time they were princesses in disguise.” 

Do you believe in fairy tales, then ? ” he asked, 
wondering. 

She laughed to herself. “Not exactly, Herr. 
But when one passes so many hours alone, and has 
to take long solitary walks as I have, one must 
think. And when the rain beats down, and the 
wind blows. . . . Hark at it now, what a to-do it’s 
making. . . . Think of me tramping along in this 
— and I have often been out when it’s as bad, but 
I’ve never lost my way. And sometimes, when I 
come into the wood, I have asked myself, ‘Which 
would you rather be ? A queen sitting on a golden 
throne, or the Catholics’ Holy Virgin, who had our 
dear Lord and Saviour for her little boy ; or would 
you rather be the devil’s grandmother, and bury all 
the Schrandeners in a manure -heap ; or a noble 
lady and ” She paused. 

“ And ? ” he queried. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 201 

She drew herself up, and laughed in embarrass- 
ment. 

** I can’t tell you that — it is too silly. But I had 
only to choose which I'd be. And as I march along 
through the night shadows, I often imagine I am 
one or other, till all of a sudden I find myself in 
Bockeldorf, just as if I’d flown there — often I think 
I am flying. Ah ! things do happen in real life, 
after all, very much the same as in the fairy tales. 
Don’t you think so, Herr?*"' 

He contemplated her with curiosity and wonder, 
as if he had never seen her before. And truly it 
was the first time he had looked into her secret 
soul. Now, when her tongue was loosened by wine, 
much was revealed in her that before he had either 
not observed or not understood. 

Blissful creature ! ” he murmured. 

Am I ? ” she replied, boldly planting her elbows 
on the table, and regarding him with an expression 
of joyous inquiry. You mean, because I’m sitting 
here with you drinking wine and being treated as if I 
were human ? Oh ! it’s exactly like being in heaven. 
... Do you think I shall ever go to heaven ? . . . 
I don’t. I am far too wicked ! . . . And I think, 
too, I should be afraid to go there. It must be 
much livelier in hell. ... I should be more at 
home there. The Herr Pastor often said I was like 
a little devil, and I never fretted about it. Why 
should I ? It seemed quite natural that I should 
be the little devil and Helene the angel. An ex- 
cellent arrangement. . . . Didn’t Helene, Herr^ look 


202 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


just like an angel in the flesh ? So pink and white 
and delicate, with her blue eyes and folded hands. 
And she always wore ... a pretty ribbon . . . 
round her neck . . . and smelt always of . . . rose- 
scented soap. . . 

A cold shiver passed through him. He felt it was 
degrading both to himself and the beloved to allow 
this half-tipsy girl to speak of her as if she were an 
equal. 

** Stop ! ” he demanded hoarsely. 

She only answered him with a dreamy smile. 
Wine and fatigue suddenly overpowered her. She 
lay stretched out, her head thrown back on the arm 
of the chair, and fought against sleep, like a Bacchante 
exhausted after a whirl of dissipation. 

A great anger, that rose and fell within him like 
the sound of the storm outside, mastered him. 

**This is what wine does,” he thought, and yet 
drank more. 

He wanted to wake her, to send her out, but he 
could not tear his eyes away from her face, and by 
degrees he became gentler again. 

She meant no harm,” he thought, as he moved 
nearer to where she lay. ^*This is the last time 
she will sit here with me ; to-morrow a new leaf 
will be turned. After to-morrow she shall find in 
me nothing but the master.” 

Then he remembered all he had wanted to ask her. 

Well, never mind,” he said to himself, ** it can’t 
be helped. Why spoil her Christmas ? Some other 
time will do.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 203 

The hurricane without seemed to have increased 
in fury. It roared through the keyholes, and bat- 
tered the shutters. How brutally cruel it was to 
drive her out to sleep in a greenhouse on a night 
like this ! But what was the use of being compas- 
sionate when it had to be done ? 

Regina I” he shouted, and tapped her on the 
shoulder. At that moment there was a terrific 
thundering crash, that made the walls tremble as 
from a shock of earthquake. Regina screamed loud 
in her sleep and tried to grasp his hand, then sank 
back again into her old position. He went out to 
see what was the cause of the noise. Nothing had 
fallen in the vestibule, but on opening the door of the 
greenhouse snow drifted in his face just as if he had 
walked into the open air. All round was inky dark- 
ness. He went back to fetch his lantern. It shed 
its light on a scene of ruin that exceeded his worst 
expectations. Regina's little kingdom, from which 
she had ruled and regulated the menage so unosten- 
tatiously, had seemingly been dispersed to the four 
winds of heaven. The roof was blown off, and had 
torn up part of the wall with it. Between the hearth 
and the door was a barricade of snow as tall as him- 
self, riddled with bricks, beams, and splinters of glass. 

What was to be done now ? Where was Regina 
to sleep ? Should he too let her lie like a dog on 
his threshold ? No ! rather would he turn out into 
the ruins himself, and seek a couch down in the 
cellar. It was imperative to act at once, and there 
was only one thing to be done. He drew Regina's 


204 the sins of the FATHERS 

bedding out of the snow, shook it thoroughly till 
not a flake remained hanging to it, and then dragged 
it into his room. Beneath the shadow of the 
Christmas-tree in the corner by the stove he made 
up a bed on the boards. 

Regina slept peacefully, her face illumined by 
the light from the oil lamp. He came close to her, 
shook and called her by name ; but nothing could 
wake her. At last he lifted her up, to carry her 
to the bed. 

She gave a deep sigh, encircled his neck with 
her arms, and let her head sink on his shoulder. 

His heart beat faster. The fair body in the 
first bloom of its superb young womanhood, gave 
him a sensation of fear and uneasiness as it un- 
consciously rested on him. He half carried, half 
trailed her across the room. Her warm breath 
fanned his face, her hair swept his throat. 

As he let her sink on her mattress she raised her 
arms, with a gesture of longing, in the air, and 
pulled down the little fir-tree. He drew it from 
under her, and then placed it as a screen and 
sentinel between himself and her. ** To-morrow Pll 
rig up a partition,” he thought Then he undressed 
and went to bed. 

The night-light burnt out, but there was no 
thought of sleep for him. The tempest still raged, 
and spent its fury on the locks and bolts. Boleslav 
heeded it not. While he listened to the sleeping 
woman^s breath, his own fell on the night, in heavily- 
drawn, anxious gasps. 


CHAPTER XIII 


To His Lordships Baron Boleslav 
! von Schranden^ of Castle Schranden, 

** Your Hochwohlgeboren is requested to appear 
i in person on January ^rd, anni futuri^ at two o'clock 
I in the afternoony at Herr MerckeVs official residencCy 
! and to bring the requisite papers relating to your 
Hochwohlgeboreri s attachmenty or non-attachment y to 
the Prussian Landwehr. 

\ “ (Signed) Royal Landrath V. Krotkeim, 

Representative of Military Affairs 
for the Districts 

Boleslav found this communication in the draw- 
bridge letter-box on New Year’s morning. The 
threatening nature of its contents did not at once 
strike him ; he was only staggered at the authorities 
taking the trouble to investigate his case. He had 
resolved, on again adopting his father’s name, to 
let the waters of oblivion close over Lieutenant 
Baumgart. He had discharged his duty to his 
country unconditionally ; bolder and more self- 
sacrificing than thousands of others, he had gone 
to face death. Now that there was peace, and he 
had taken a great burden of inherited guilt on his 

305 


2o6 the sins of the FATHERS 

shoulders, he had wished to avoid being involved 
in any way with official red-tapism. 

Only gradually did he realise the new dangers 
that were gathering on his horizon. Pride in his 
past as a soldier, afforded him the one prop and stay 
in his present ruined life, and he felt that slipping 
from under his feet. He stood defenceless in face 
of imminent peril. It would need only a little 
malice prepense to make him out a deserter from the 
flag, and the fact of his having borne a false name 
would go far to establish his guilt. 

The son of Baron von Schranden had no reason 
to hope that justice would be tempered with mercy 
in his case. He would also have no reason to 
complain of harsh measures, if he were put under 
arrest on the spot, and brought before a court- 
martial of the standing branch of his regiment. 

For a moment he entertained thoughts of flight, 
but afterwards thrust the idea from him in scorn. 
He had too often valued his life cheaply, to now 
think seriously of stealing into Poland to end his 
wretched career in safety. 

But what would become of Regina ? 

At the thought of her, his heart smote him. She 
had no suspicion of the new troubles with which he 
was encompassed. Since Christmas night he had 
not addressed a single word to her that was not 
absolutely necessary, and even then his voice had 
been imperious and severe. The thought of her now 
seemed interwoven with a presentiment of coming 
calamity, which oppressed him like a nightmare. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 207 

At night he tossed about restlessly among his 
pillows. She never stirred in her corner. Appar- 
ently she fell asleep the moment she lay down. 
But her soft, quick, regular breathing was sometimes 
broken by a sigh. Perhaps, after all, she was not 
sleeping, but watching, listening, as he listened. . . . 

And then the day dawned on which Boleslav's 
fate was to be decided. Towards morning he had 
fallen into an uneasy sleep, and was first awakened 
by the smoke that poured into the room from the 
vestibule, where he had erected a temporary fire- 
place, which would have to do as a makeshift till 
milder weather made the repairing of the glass root 
practicable. It was a clear, frosty morning. The 
sunshine jewelled the hoar-frost on the twigs, and 
dark purple shadows crept along the dazzling sheets 
of snow. 

He spent the morning in arranging his papers. 
All that was compromising to his father’s memory 
should be destroyed, for were he put under arrest, 
as seemed likely, strangers’ hands would meddle in 
this vortex. He held the sorted letters in his hand 
ready to burn in the stove, when he thought better 
of it. If he really were serious in his intentions of 
' bearing his father's guilt, he ought to conceal or 
destroy nothing in order to lighten the burden. It 
was not worth while purchasing truth with falsehood. 
Rather die in disgrace, than live in honour founded 
on lies and deceit. 

' When Regina brought him his midday meal he 
vacillated an instant, as to whether he should tell 


2o8 the sins of the FATHERS 


her all or nothing. But he shrank from a touching 
scene, and decided on the latter course. A letter 
would serve the same purpose. So he wrote : If I 
am not back at dusk, probably you will have difficulty 
in seeing me again. Inquire at the Landrath's 
office in Wartenstein. There they will tell you what 
has become of me. I advise you to leave Schranden 
at once. The draft I gave you will supply your 
wants. What else remains shall all be yours later. 
Good-bye, and accept my thanks.” 

He left the note in a conspicuous place, so that, 
when she cleared away, she would find it. He was 
in a hard and embittered mood, and in no humour 
for a sentimental farewell. 

But as he passed Regina in the vestibule where 
she was occupied with the fire, he felt a strong 
impulse to press her hand. For her sake, as much 
as for his own, he went out without giving her a 
word or a look. A group of staring louts, who 
appeared to be waiting for him, were loafing near 
the drawbridge. When they saw him coming, they 
ran off helter-skelter with loud exclamations, to 
the inn. 

My heralds,” he said, and laughed. 

Long before the stated hour the parlour of the 
Black Eagle could not hold all the customers that 
poured in, anxious to secure a foremost place for the 
proceedings. There was an overflow that extended 
as far as the churchyard square. Every one was 
eager to witness with his own eyes the final degrada- 
tion of the last of the Barons of Schranden. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 209 

Three months had passed since the petition had 
been sent to the judicial authorities of the province, 
and even the most zealous patriots had begun to 
despair of its producing any results. Then at last 
had come the delightful intimation from the office 
of the Landrath, that a day had been appointed to 
wind up the case of the Crown v. Schranden, alias 
Baumgart, and the presence of the petitioners was 
urgently requested at the inquiry. 

The Schrandeners had armed themselves in a 
way worthy of the occasion. For three days they 
had been busy polishing up their accoutrements. 
Those among the disbanded Landwehr-men who still 
possessed their Litewka had donned it, and pikes 
and sabres were seen in the crowd. Possibly they 
might be called upon to help in an instantaneous 
administration of justice. 

The Landrath’s sleigh had entered the village at 
one o'clock, and, as was customary, put up at the 
parsonage stable, where Herr Merckel and his 
son stood ready to welcome the high functionary. 
There was no gendarme on the box, which greatly 
mystified the Schrandeners. But perhaps the ser- 
vices of one were not required when they could be 
depended on to despatch the criminal at the first 
signal. 

Shortly before two, the Landrath, accompanied 
by the old pastor, left the parsonage and entered 
the inn by a side door, where Herr Merckel, senior, 
again was to the fore to receive him, while Felix 
slouched in the background, piqued at not being 

O 


210 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


treated with what he considered sufficient respect 
by the civilian. 

The Landrath von Krotkeim was a tall, extremely 
slender man, whose hoary leonine head rose with 
great effect from his contracted, sloping shoulders. 
There was something awe-inspiring in its pose. 
He wore, in defiance of the fashion of the period, 
long whiskers, which flowed behind his ears, 
mingling with his thick iron-grey mane. 

His part in the formation of defences for the 
Fatherland had been an important and distinguished 
one. Two years before he had sat as a deputy for 
the knighthood in the famous Land-tag to which 
Germany owed the foundation of the Landwehr. He 
had hailed old York with cheers, and helped to 
draw up the address to the King. Afterwards he 
had hastened back to his native place to set the 
organisation on foot, and had achieved results which 
made his district the brilliant model that excited 
the admiring emulation of the whole country. Then 
arose those marauders attendant on success, vanity 
and egoism. What at first had been a labour of 
noble disinterestedness, gradually degenerated into a 
peg for self-advertisement and a means of memorial- 
ising his own fame. For the rest, and long before 
the treachery of the Cats’ Bridge incident had been 
generally made known to the world, Herr von 
Krotkeim had by repute been a bitter enemy of 
the house of Schranden. To hope any favour at 
his hands would therefore be over-sanguine indeed. 
Rut Boleslav had abandoned hope of any kind as 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 21 1 

he entered the square in front of the church. He 
advanced composed, and almost indifferent, towards 
the crowed that formed a cordon round the inn. 
He had, on his way, cast one shy glance at the 
parsonage, where in a window he fancied he had 
seen a fair face which withdrew into shadow directly 
he smiled up at it. He was received by a murmur 
of malignant tongues, but the cordon let him through, 
understanding enough to know that, without him, 
the game they were anticipating with such keen 
relish could not be played. 

At the entrance to the best parlour, he stood face 
to face with the great man with the lion’s mane, 
on either side of whom sat the old pastor and 
Herr Merckel. Felix lounged in the window-sill, 
trying to assume an air of nonchalance. He now 
considered his former playmate too inferior an 
object on which even to bestow his hate. But the 
old landlord greeted Boleslav with a benign smile. 
Had he come there with the purpose of treating 
every one present to a bottle of the celebrated 
Muscat wine, the smile could not have been more 
smugly servile. 

Lightning-flashes irradiated from beneath the pro- 
minent brows of the old pastor, and the Landrath 
sat coolly contemplating his fingers, which were 
white and bony as a skeleton’s. Boleslav felt his 
bosom swell proudly. ** His hand against every 
man ; every man’s hand against him.” It was the 
old story! 

A voice from the crowd hiccoughed out some 


212 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


unflattering remark. The Schrandeners received 
it with laughter. 

^Ht’s the poor father, the unhappy father,” old 
Merckel whispered to the Landrath, with a melan- 
choly elevation of his eyebrows. 

**As you have summoned me here,” exclaimed 
Boleslav, demand your protection from the in- 
sults of the mob ! ” 

The Landrath drooped his eyelids and bowed. 

** Silence, dear people ! ” he commanded, stroking 
his clean-shaven chin, and then he added, I shall 
have any person who makes a disturbance ejected.” 

He consulted a green portfolio that lay spread 
before him on the table. Behind him a little man in 
grey was energetically trying goose quills. Probably 
he was the reporter. 

The examination began. With frigid politeness 
the Landrath put the usual questions. 

“ Where have you resided hitherto ? ** 

Boleslav enumerated several places. 

‘‘Your word is of course to be trusted, Herr 
Barotiy but have you proofs ? ” 

“No.” 

“ Up to what date does your answer hold good ? ” 

“Till the spring of the year *13.” 

“After that?” 

“ I entered the army.” 

“ Have you proofs to support that statement ? ” 

“No.” 

“ I regret to say that the name von Schranden is 
not to be found in the army list.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 213 

** I enlisted under another.” 

Under the name of Baumgart ?” 

^‘Yes.” 

'‘For what reason ? ” 

There was silence. Boleslav bit his lips. 

“Ha, ha ! ” came triumphantly from the window. 
The exclamation put Boleslav on his mettle. 

“To have borne my real name would have 
involved me in difficulties.” 

“Why?” 

“ Because, through a rumour which I was power- 
less to contradict, there was a blot on that 
name.” 

“ What rumour ? ” 

It was clear this man intended to humiliate him 
to the dust before passing on him the inevitable 
sentence. 

“You know it,” he murmured faintly between his 
closed teeth. 

The Landrath bowed. “ Nevertheless I must 
ask for information on the subject.” 

“ I decline to give it.” 

The mob sent up a shout of scornful laughter. 

“ Do for him at once ! put him in chains I ” roared 
the same hiccoughing voice that had made use of an 
abusive epithet earlier in the proceedings. 

The Landrath gracefully waved his long white 
hands. 

“A note has been made of that refusal?” he 
asked without turning round. 

A small quavering pipe behind him, which greatly 


214 the sins of the fathers 

amused the Schrandeners, answered in the affir- 
mative. 

Then he continued with imperturbable politeness. 

May I ask you, then, to tell me to which com- 
pany you were attached ? ” 

Boleslav did so, and also gave the names of his 
Heide comrades. 

The Landrath turned over the leaves of his port- 
folio with an air of ennui. The concerns of the 
volunteer Jagers evidently had no interest for him. 

You were elected officer ? ** 

“Yes.” 

“I do not doubt your word, fferr Baron^ but 
have you proofs to back this statement ? ” 

“No.” 

“A note must be made of that negative. And 
then you entered the Landwehr ? ” 

“Yes.” 

“ Your reason ? ” 

Boleslav indicated, with a motion of his head, the 
companion of his boyhood. “Because I did not 
wish to meet that man.” 

Felix gave a scoffing laugh, and exclaimed, “ Else 

^he swindle would ” A sign from the Landrath 

silenced him. 

“ Your Landwehr regiment, if you please ? ” 

Boleslav cited the commandant’s name. 

The Landrath bowed low over the portfolio till 
his shock of hair almost concealed his faded shrunken 
face. 

“ So far that coincides with my information,” he 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 215 

said, and then read : ** There was a Lieutenant 
Baumgart, who at the time of the armistice entered 
the regiment. Besides him there were four other 
officers of this name in the army. The one in 
question, however, met his death between the 1st 
and 3rd of March on the Marne.*' 

** How did you learn that, Herr Landrath ? ” 

It is in the Gazette, Herr Baron. He is said to 
have been sent on a special mission, and shot by 
grenadiers in General Marmont’s corps." 

Boleslav felt his blood mount swiftly to his brow. 
The proudest and most arduous moments of his life 
rose vividly before him. “That is a mistake,” he 
cried ; “ Lieutenant Baumgart fell into the hands of 
the enemy severely wounded, but escaped with his 
life.” 

“ And it is your desire to be identified with that 
fallen emissary ? ” 

“ I believe I have clearly shown that it is my 
desire.” 

“Very well, that being so, you will of course be 
able to relate the incidents of the special mission.” 

“ Certainly.” 

“ Please proceed.” 

“The volunteers had been charged to get a mes- 
sage delivered to General von Kleist. Some days 
before a skirmish had taken place on the banks of 
a river, Therouanne by name, through which the 
General and his corps were cut off from communica- 
tion with the main army. A reunion was not to 
be effected owing to Marmont's and Mortier’s troops, 


2i6 the sins of the FATHERS 


to which Napoleon himself was said to be marching, 
stopping the way. Field-Marshal Bliicher suddenly 
resolved to retreat, in order, I believe, to pick up 
reinforcements, and therefore it was, under the 
circumstances, urgent to let General von Kleist 
know at once, in case he should find himself entirely 
isolated. It was necessary for the messenger to 
evade the enemy’s outposts at night-time. Among 
those who volunteered to go on the mission, choice 
fell on me. Major von Schaek led me to the Field- 

Marshal, who entrusted me with a letter ” 

One moment, please,” interrupted the Landrath, 
searching diligently among his papers ; then he added 
casually, '^And the letter of course contained the 
necessary command.” 

No.” 

** What, then ? ” 

^^The letter was designed to deceive the enemy 
in case I should be shot from my horse on the way. 
The Field-Marshal desired me to give his command 
by word of mouth. I had to learn it by heart” 

How did it run ? ” 

** As follows : Mf on the morrow the enemy at- 
tacks us on the right flank. General von Kleist is 
not to join in the engagement, but to seize the op- 
portunity of gaining the command of the Marne from 
the south, so that he may bring himself in touch with 
me. En route several bridges are to be destroyed.’ ” 

The Landrath nodded. ^^And then — Lieu- 
tenant ? ” 

** I succeeded in delivering the message.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 217 

*^You managed to evade the enemy and reach 
your goal ? ” 

“ I hope you have found proofs of it, Herr 

Landrath^ in the history of the war ” 

Hum ! When were you wounded ? ” 

On the way back.” 

“ Why did you not remain where you were ? ” 
Because I had undertaken to bring the Field- 
Marshal an answer.” 

^^You might have spared yourself this second act 
of daring.” 

I might have spared myself the first also.” 

You wanted to achieve fame ?” 

** I wanted among other things to escape the 
privilege of this cross-examination.” 

The Landrath straightened himself and threw 
back his mane. Permit me to draw your attention 
to the fact that you stand before the representative 
of your king, Herr Baron von Schranden.” 

Barefaced impudence ! ” muttered the voice at 
the window. 

stand before my undoer,” replied Boleslav, 
looking steadily into the Landrath’s eyes. 

He fixed them on his papers again, with a sup- 
pressed smile. I have now come to the last stage of 
my investigation,” he continued. “ It cannot be denied 
that your statements bear a strong resemblance to the 
facts, and that your claim to be one and the same 
person as the Lieutenant Baumgart who served in 
the Silesian Landwehr under Major von Wolzogen 
has gained in probability. Only this admission has 


2i8 the sins of the FATHERS 


to be weighed in the scale against the impossibility 
of an honourable officer, as the said Baumgart seems 
to have been, turning his back on the army in which 
he had won honours and wounds, and deserting its 
standard. He must have known a company of 
soldiers could not be dispersed like a flock of 
sparrows. And to think that the Landwehr ” — his 
chest swelled and he tossed his mane , — ** the glorious 
Landwehr, that has always stood in the first rank 
for courage, love of order, and discipline, should have 
thus been hoodwinked ! Freiherr von Schranden, 
I fervently hope that Lieutenant Baumgart was not 
guilty of this transgression, and am therefore bound 
to wish that he met his death.” 

Boleslav felt the crisis was approaching. He 
glanced round him and saw everywhere eyes flam- 
ing with hate and thirst for vengeance. Felix 
Merckel had laid his hand on the handle of his 
sabre, as if in another moment he would raise 
it. From the throngs behind him came a clash 
and din of arms. Malignant satisfaction beamed 
on the face of the old host of the Black Eagle. 
Only the pastor sat with his dishevelled head 
bowed in his hands, staring despondently on the 
floor. 

^^It is not my fault, Herr Landrath, that the 
dead man has been brought to life. He did his 
duty, I think. Why should he not have been 
allowed to rest in peace ? ” 

The Landrath shrugged his shoulders. 

** A public indictment cannot be ignored.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 219 

‘'An indictment!” cried Boleslav, his anger 
blazing up, and his eye met young Merckel’s. 

There he read, in unmistakable characters, the 
story of the shameless plot against him. He smiled 
in disgust. 

“ I see that I am answerable to a military tri- 
bunal,” he said. “I was prepared for it. I beg 
you now to arrest me.” 

The mob pushed forward as if anxious to take 
him at his word without delay. Boleslav, who all 
this time had been standing on the threshold of 
the inner parlour, was hurled forward against the 
table, within a haiFs-breadth of the Landrath, while 
the fists of his enemies touched his neck from 
behind. 

“Patience, my dear friends,” said the Landrath 
in an amicable tone. “The first who lays hands 
on him will himself be put in chains. One more 
question, Herr Baron. If you were taken prisoner, 
as you maintain, how was it that later, when the 
disbanding followed, you were not registered and 
discharged in the regular order ? ” 

“ The French, in their hurried flight, left me lying 
on the field, as I was badly wounded. I was picked 
up by some peasants, in whose house I lay for 
months at death's door. When I was able to 
leave my rescuers, peace had been concluded, and 
there were no allies in the neighbourhood.” 

“ Your word of honour is of course sacred, Herr 
BaroUy but perhaps you can substantiate this with 
proof?” 


220 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


** Only with my scars, I/err Landrathr 

“ Ah ! . . . Make a note of that ” He pushed 

back his leonine locks from his brow, and seemed 
to be bracing himself for an impressive summing 
up — 

*^My friends! Indomitable defenders of your 
country, and inhabitants of Schranden ! The found- 
ing of the Landwehr was the rising of a new sun, 
which has never ceased to cast new lustre on the 
fame of Prussia. Let us congratulate ourselves that 
we have been born in a time when such great things 
have been demanded of us, and that we have proved 
ourselves worthy of, and equal to the demand. 
Especially in this district, and foremost in this dis- 
trict the parish of Schranden. If we look round us, 
we see a very different spectacle in other quarters. 
Not everywhere did the King’s appeal meet with 
such a warm and spontaneous echo. 

Oh, my friends, our hearts bleed when we hear 
of how, in the districts of Konitz and Stargard, for 
example, to escape serving, men took refuge in the 
woods, and lay full-length amongst the wheat till 
they had to be baited like bulls. Thousands took 
flight across the frontier, and thus shirked the con- 
scription altogether. And often what had been 
beautifully drilled companies overnight, by the 
morning were transformed into a shapeless mass of 
panic-stricken deserters. But not in the district 
that I have had the pleasure of mobilising. 

In less than two weeks, friends and comrades, 
the Landwehr of the Wartenstein district was 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 221 


ready drilled and armed from top to toe. The levies 
were double in strength what the government had 
required of us, and eighty per cent, consisted of 
volunteers. From the parish of Schranden came 
only volunteers.” 

The crowd set up loud hurrahs, and the pastor 
nodded and smiled in grim satisfaction. He knew 
whose work that had been. 

I must admit,” continued the Landrath, with a 
chilling sidelong glance at Boleslav, ^^that the parish 
of Schranden has one hideous stain on its reputa- 
tion ” — (several loud imprecations were audible) — 
a stain which in spite of all its deeds of bravely 
will never be dissociated from it ” (renewed curses) ; 
** but if it is the King’s pleasure to overlook it, and 
only to see the brighter side, his graciousness is 
due to those who, in defending his realm, have 
rendered him such able services, whose leader I 
am happy and proud to call myself. The King's 
favour — (“Why does he harp thus on the King's 
favour,” thought Boleslav, “ when he might wind up 
the case and be done with it ”) — “ has been abund- 
antly lavished on us, and we are almost overpowered 
with his blessings. Yet let all who reap the fruits 
of the harvest remember they owe it to the men of 
the Landwehr, and not least to their organiser, who 
sowed for them the seeds of undying fame.'' 

Again he began to turn over the leaves of 
his portfolio, then he went on: “Take your caps 
off, intrepid inhabitants of Schranden. Attention, 
my brave men ! Gentlemen, if you please, rise I 


222 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Whoever keeps his cap on at the back there 
will be ejected. I am commissioned to read over 
to you an order of the Cabinet of supreme im- 
port. It is as follows: 'Should it prove true that 
the Freiherr von Schranden of Schloss Schranden 
and Lieutenant Baumgart of the iSth Regiment of 
the Silesian Landwehr, be one and the same per- 
son, and that, as was naturally supposed of so 
fearless an officer, he had no real intentions of 
deserting, I appoint him to a captaincy in my 
Landwehr, and entrust him with the command of 
the company in his division. I also bestow on 
him, in recognition of his extraordinary valour and 
distinguished service, the iron cross of the first 
class. The Landrath for the district shall invest 
him with these honours in the presence of his 
accusers.— Friedrich Wilhelm Rex.’” 

The proclamation was received in profound 
silence. The patriotic Schrandeners stood glower- 
ing at each other in consternation. Felix Merckel 
had sunk back on the window-seat. His fingers 
clutched convulsively at the cross that shone be- 
tween the black froggings on his coat. Boleslav 
felt a buzzing sensation in his head. He was 
obliged to cling to the door for support, for he 
feared he might swoon. Not joy, only infinite 
bitterness, welled up within him. He bit his lips 
hard to keep back his tears. 

The Landrath drew a small black case froiii the 
depths of his coat pocket, and presented it to Boleslav 
with an exaggeratedly obsequious bow. The cover 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 223 

sprang back. The black smoothly polished scrap 
of iron, on its background of blue velvet, seemed 
surrounded by a halo of shimmering light. Boleslav 
grasped it with one hand in growing excitement, 
while he offered his other to the Landrath. The 
latter retreated a step or two, closely regarding 
his long, white, skinny hands, as if the act of 
handing over the case had done them some injury. 
Then he deliberately hid them behind his back. 

** Herr Landrath^ I offered you my hand,” cried 
Boleslav threateningly, flushing darkly at this new 
insult. 

According to his Majesty's wishes I have dis- 
charged my duty. My instructions did not include 
a shake of the hand.” 

At this moment a cross, like the one Boleslav had 
just received, flew through the air and alighted at 
his feet Felix Merckel had torn it from his breast 
Swelling with righteous indignation, he swaggered 
up to the official, whom he now felt sure he had 
no reason to be afraid of, and cried — 

There it may lie. I don't want it now. Any 
decent soldier would be ashamed to wear it when 
such as he is decorated with it.” 

A cry of mingled pain and fury escaped Boleslav's 
lips, and with raised fists he turned fiercely on his 
enemy. 

Felix Merckel unsheathed his sabre, as if with 
the intention of hewing down the unarmed man. 
But the old landlord threw his corpulent form be- 
tween them. The Landrath confined himself to 


224 the sins of the fathers 

waving his hands soothingly ; and the pastor vigi- 
lantly kept watch on his Schrandeners. He knew 
his flock, and read murder in their glance. 

"Back there! keep back!” he shouted to the 
tumultuous throng in a voice of brass. With out- 
stretched arms he sprang into the doorway, where 
already a line of pikes appeared, ready to fell the 
victim from behind. 

Boleslav looked round and saw with a shudder 
how near he stood to death. 

The pastor, clinging to the roof of the doorway, 
endeavoured to stem the murderous tide. Would 
that frail and venerable frame be able to repulse this 
onslaught of unmuzzled wolves ? Would it not be 
swept away on the crest of this bloodthirsty wave ? 
A weak shield to rely on, indeed ! Yet his was the 
only authority not swamped by the tumult. The 
Landrath's protesting hands waved impotently above 
the seething heads, like limp towels ; the gentle flute- 
like tones in which he declared the ringleaders of 
the disturbance should be turned out and bludgeoned 
were totally ignored. His parasite, the little port- 
folio bearer, had taken the precaution to creep under 
the table. 

A voice within Boleslav cried, " What ! You will 
let this old man protect you? Cannot you pro- 
tect yourself ? ” And a wild resolve consumed him. 
This seemed a moment given him to balance his 
account with fate — a moment of all others in which 
cowardice was to be avoided. He caught hold of 
the old pastor in a grip of iron and drew him aside. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 225 

"This is my place, reverend sir," he said, and 
planted himself in the doorway. 

He stretched out his arms above him, as the old 
man had done, and offered his breast as a target 
for the pointed weapons. His eye penetrated un- 
flinchingly into the heart of the struggling and 
ramping mob before him. He felt the foam from 
their mouths bespatter him, and their hot, foul 
breath fan his face. 

" Here I stand ! ” he cried. " I have left my 
pistols at home ; so you can make short work of 
me. Any of you who have the courage." 

But no one had the courage, for his back was not 
turned to them now. Sabres were lowered, pikes 
dropped. 

"I see — ^you don't wish to assassinate me after all,” 
he said, holding them with his eyes. " You are going 
to behave yourselves like men, and not like wild 
beasts. Very well, then, I will speak to you as to 
reasonable men. Move backwards and keep quiet." 

The crowd wavered ; the next moment he had 
the threshold to himself. 

"And now — speak! Tell me what you want 
with me ? ” 

There was no answer, no sound in the room 
except the laboured breathing of excited lungs. 

" You hate me. You would like to take my life. 
Tell me why ? Here in the presence of a representa- 
tive of the King whom we all serve and fear, in the 
presence of a representative of the God in whom I 
believe and you too — tell me what I have done? 

P 


2 26 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

I submit myself to their judgment. Now is your 
opportunity of charging me.” 

But the silence continued. Only one spluttering 
voice arose for a moment and died away in a gurgle, 
as if it were being stifled by force. 

** You are dumb. You cannot say what my offence 
has been, — and you, gentlemen ! Won't you come 
to the assistance of these poor, speechless people ? 
There on the ground lies a cross, the mark of honour 
our nation cherishes more highly than any other, 
which some one threw away, because through my 
possessing one like it, he considered it contaminated. 
Some one else declined to shake hands with me just 
now, a common act of courtesy which no man of 
honour refuses another unless he be a blackguard. It 
does not matter, Hgrr Landrathy if in this instance 
judges and accusers unite in a common cause. Ac- 
cuse me of what you like, condemn me I I am 
prepared.” 

Another long pause. The Landrath twisted his 
whiskers in embarrassment. 

And you, Herr Pastor — it is hardly fitting that 
I should call the instructor of my youth to account — 
but some months ago you showed me the door in 
your own house. Could you not be spokesman now 
for your parishioners ? ” 

The old man’s jaws worked, his lips moved, but 
no sound issued from them. He appeared to have 
exhausted his strength, but the wild, fiery glance he 
darted from beneath his bushy brows boded no 
good to Boleslav. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 227 

With a laugh he went on. Then I must be my 
own accuser,” He felt intoxicated with his own 
courage. “ Your hand against every man, and every 
man's hand against you,” cried jubilantly within him. 

You think you ought to visit the sins of the fathers 
on me ; empty the vials of your wrath on my head 
because you cannot reach the dead*. Very well. I 
am his heir. I take his guilt upon me, and do not 
refuse to do penance, when right and justice demand 
it of me. But why were no steps taken against the 
dead man himself? Why was he not tried ? Why 
not dragged to the scaffold when he deserved it? 
Herr Landrath^ I ask you, as the embodiment of the 
law, why did the State remain silent and suffer 
these gallant men who smarted under wrong to take 
revenge into their own hands ? And such a revenge ! 
So childish, so cruel, that one would have thought it 
could only have occurred to the primitive brain of 
bloodthirsty savages. Revenge for a deed which at 
this hour I neither admit nor deny, because it lies 
shrouded in mystery. Which of you can say how 
it happened, or whether it happened at all? And 
in spite of this uncertainty, you have damned and 
defamed him and his race, deprived them of honour 
and justice. Is that fair play ? Now I ask you to 

put us on our trial, me, and the dead man, and ” 

He paused, shocked at the thought that he had 
nearly let fall Regina's name. 

The pastor’s eagle eye flashed ominously. Then 
collecting himself, he continued : Inquire, speak 
out unravel the mystery, clear up the matter, and 


228 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


then judge and pass sentence. But at the same 
time sit in judgment and pass sentence on that 
other crime, the crime that has wrecked my pro- 
perty, and leaves me only uninhabitable ruins to 
live in, a crime that cries aloud to Heaven for 
vengeance. On the subject of other outrages and 
indignities I will be silent — threats of murder to me 
and mine ; the blocking of the churchyard entrance 
to my father’s funeral cortege — all that shall pass. 
But the fire, that I swear shall be avenged ! If till 
to-day justice has been blind to my wrongs, its 
eyes shall be wrenched open. I will not rest day 
or night till I have dragged the skulking authors of 
that cowardly, atrocious deed into the light of day, 
and may God have mercy on those who attempt to 
screen or defend them.” 

Again the mob showed signs of uneasiness. Its 
foremost ranks pressed back on the others, as if to 
fly from the vengeance of the wrathful man who had 
addressed them in words of such burning indigna- 
tion, Again from the neighbourhood of the window 
came hoarse, stuttering laughter that was choked off 
as before. 

The occupants of the best parlour made an effort 
to appear as if they had not been listening to 
Boleslav. The Landrath, who was really painfully 
affected, busied himself with more zeal than ever 
in looking through his papers. Old Merckel had 
picked up the discarded cross, and was trying to 
persuade his son, who resisted sulkily, to wear it 
again. The little man in grey had come out from 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 229 

under the table, and was employing himself in 
carefully rubbing dust off his knees. Only the old 
pastor was on the alert. He had propped his stick 
against the table; the thin white hair that floated 
round his bald skull quivered. He stood looking, 
with his vulture profile, and small eyes flashing 
beneath his sharply projecting brows, like a bird of 
prey waiting to pounce on its booty. 

Had Boleslav caught sight of him at that moment, 
he might have hesitated to make a fresh challenge. 
But he wanted to score all along the line and com- 
plete his victory. 

In order that there may be a clear understanding 
between us,” he cried, ^^that all may see who has 
right on his side and who wrong, I ask, which of 
you has a charge to prefer against me ? To whom 
have I done an injury ? How have I sinned ? ” 
Then the voice of the old pastor was raised be- 
hind him. . “ Is Hackelberg, the carpenter, here ? ” 
Boleslav winced. That voice so close to his ear 
sounded intimidating and uncanny, and prophetic 
of coming evil. There was a scuffling and swaying 
in the crowd. The ragged figure of the village 
drunkard, by means of shoves and kicks, was pro- 
pelled forward into the front row. He struggled 
and beat the air with his hands, and when forced 
on to the threshold of the inner parlour, tried to 
duck beneath the legs of the men on either side 
of him. 

** There is nothing to be afraid of, Hackelberg,” 
said the pastor. " I will see that you are not hurt.” 


230 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Reassured, he drew himself up, and scanned the 
gentlemen he had been brought before with a sus- 
picious, glassy eye. 

** What creature is this ? '' inquired the Landrath, 
scandalised. ** Why is he not put under restraint ? ” 
Because his condition is owing more to his mis- 
fortune than his fault,” the pastor answered. 

Herr Merckel thought it his duty to whisper an 
explanation to his superior. 

He is the poor father so much to be pitied,” he 
said, with a mock pathetic air, whose sad story I 
related to your Hochwohlgehoren.'^ 

At the same time he watched uneasily some 
Schrandeners, who seemed to be waiting for a 
signal to take the drunkard into custody. 

Have you nothing to say, Hackelberg ? ” as! 
the pastor. 

^^What should I have to say, Herr Pastor?^' he 
lisped, beginning to cringe again, and drawing the 
lappets of his tattered coat over his naked breast. 
Have you no accusation to make ? ” 

Let me go,” he growled. I haven't ” 

^^Not even against him?'*'* and he pointed to 
Boleslav. 

A glimmer of intelligence came into the dull, 
glazed eyes. He understood his cue. Old Merckel 
nodded at him encouragingly, and he began to play 
his favourite r61e. Floods of tears that the besotted 
inebriate can always command so easily, poured 
over his cheeks. He rubbed his wet face with his 
black hands, till it resembled some hideous mask. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 231 

** Poor fellow ! poor outraged father ! ” crooned 
Herr Merckel, senior, wiping his own eyes. 

*‘What is the meaning of this absurd farce?” 
asked Boleslav, with a scornful laugh. But his face 
had become visibly paler. 

Here we don't enact farces, but sit in judgment,” 
answered the pastor. 

Boleslav shrugged his shoulders. ** I am pleased 
to hear it,” he said, and there was a tremor in his 
voice. 

The Schrandeners craned their necks to get a 
better view of the edifying scene, of which they 
now expected to be spectators. In the momentary 
calm that ensued, distant whoops and yells were 
heard from the crowds who filled the square, having 
stormed the inn in vain, and with the noise there 
seemed to mingle a woman's voice crying for 
succour. 

What if it were Regina? But it was not pos- 
sible that it could be she ; and the idea vanished as 
quickly as it had flashed into his brain. 

“My child, my poor wretched child!” howled 
the carpenter, who now found himself in more 
familiar waters. 

“ What have they done to your child, man ? '' 
asked the Landrath, who was not going to tolerate 
the conduct of affairs being taken out of his hands. 

“My child was seduced — he ruined her — my 
fatherly heart is . . . lacerated ... I am a poor 
beg — gar . . . Only one coffin ” 

“I fancy I have heard you harp on this string 


232 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

before,” the Landrath interrupted him sharply, ** at 
the time when I examined your daughter about the 
Cats’ Bridge disaster. If you haven’t learnt anything 
a little newer than that in five years, you’d better 
nold your tongue. It seems,” he said, turning with 
a smile to the pastor, “ as if this ruffian were bent 
on playing the part of Virginius.” 

The little man in grey laughed shrilly at this 
facetious sally on the part of his chief, and then 
was overcome with confusion at his own timerity. 
But the old pastor was less disposed to appreciate 
the Landrath’s urbane humour. 

** I will speak for you, Hackelberg,” he said. 

My words must be taken seriously. I will speak 
for you and for all of us in the name of our 
Heavenly Father, whose commandments were not 
made to be flouted and set at nought by aristo- 
crats. Freiherr von Schranden, just now you 
challenged me to speak. Will you listen to what 
I am going to say ? ” 

He assented impatiently. For the second time 
he fancied he heard that cry of distress rise above 
the hubbub outside. 

^‘You have entered into the inheritance of your 
father?” 

Gan there be any doubt in the matter ? ” 

** God knows ! None.” 

” What do you mean by that ? ” 

“ I mean you have only too quickly appropriated 
that which was his unlawful possession.” 

** Herr Pastor ” But he could not go on. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 233 

He felt a choking sensation in his throat, and a 
stony horror creep over him. 

Where is your spirit?” he asked himself; 
‘*your boasted defiance?” 

'*You found a woman, Herr Baron ^ on your 
estate who had been your father’s mistress. You 
found her degraded, defiled, dragged through 
the mire of wickedness and vice. Year - long 
slavery had robbed her of the respect of every 
living creature. She was treated as a mere animal 
by animals. This wretched woman belonged to 
my parish and to me. I reared her in the way she 
should go. It was my hand that sprinkled the 
baptismal water on her brow ; my hand that held 
the chalice to her lips at the Holy Sacrament ; and 
I promised and vowed before God, and in pre- 
sence of my flock, to watch over this young soul; 
doubly orphaned, because he who generated her 
was not responsible for his actions.” 

^‘Ah, my poor orphaned child!” maundered the 
carpenter. Only two, only one other coffin . . .” 

am answerable for her to God and the 
parish. I could not command your father to give 
her up, for, as I told you, I had handed him over 
to a heavenly tribunal ; but you^ who have courted 
this inquiry, I command to give her up, and, what 
is more, in the present hour of reckoning I exhort 
you to render account of what you have done for 
her soul.” 

A red mist floated before Boleslav's eyes, and in 
this mist the figure of the venerable priest seemed 


234 the sins of the FATHERS 

to grow till it became almost god-like. He could 
only stammer forth — 

What should I . . . ? ” And the old man took 
up the thread of his speech again — 

To-day you have been honoured before all men 
by our King ; but, Boleslav von Schranden, look to 
it that God holds you in equal esteem. What 
should you have done, you ask ? This impure, 
abandoned creature ought to have been more 
awful, more sacred to you than any other earthly 
being. What have you done to atone for the guilt 
your father heaped on her ? Have you freed her 
from the bondage into which she had sunk, loosed 
her from the chain of her sin ? Have you pointed 
her soul upwards to God, the All-gracious and All- 
forgiving ? Or have you dragged her down deeper 
and deeper into the hell that your own flesh and 
blood created for her ? Above all, in what fashion 
have you been living with her ? It is said that, 
amidst the devastation of your island, there is only 
one room habitable. Have you never lost sight of 
the fact that by all laws, human and divine, your 
father’s property in this instance was for you for- 
bidden ? Have you taught her to repent and pray, 
or have you filled her poor undisciplined senses 
with fresh poison ? And have you preserved your 
own blood intact from sinful desires and lust ? Or 
have you let your passions, like greedy beasts 
waiting whom they may devour, keep watch on 
her, ready to spring in an hour of weakness, thus 
adding fresh shame ? ” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 235 

** Cease ! ” cried Boleslav. ** This is too much ! ” 

Truly scorpions proceeded out of the mouth of 
this mild Christian priest, who knew how to re- 
veal and lash secret sins of the imagination, which 
till this hour Boleslav never suspected had existed 
in his. 

But now he saw it all. Everything was clear. 
Now he knew what it was had sent his blood tear- 
ing impetuously through his veins in the long night 
vigils, and had made him hold his breath, and listen 
to hear whether that other breath did not come faster 
or slower, showing that she, too, was sleepless and 
on guard. It was sinful desire for her body — the 
body that had been dishonoured and abused, yet in 
spite of all remained so triumphantly beautiful. 

Thank God ! ah, thank God ! that the sin was 
still confined to his inner consciousness. There 
was yet time to lock it behind bolts and bars to 
prevent its stealing forth over the fatal threshold. 
So far he could claim the right to be his own judge; 
to stand before the private judgment-seat of his 
own conscience. 

He looked round him, and his face was distraught 
and ghastly pale. He saw triumph flame up again 
in the eyes that watched him. 

*^What right have you to impute this crime to 
me ? ” he said to the pastor. 

** I did not impute it — I merely asked you,” the 
old man interposed quickly. “You have become 
too pale, Herr Baron, for us not to observe your 
discomfiture.” 


236 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

Condemned out of his own mouth, unhappy 
man,” murmured Herr Merckel, senior, with a sigh. 

The Schrandeners, in the renewed hope of being 
allowed to spring at his throat, set up a fearful howl, 
and pressed forward once more. 

Then above all the din there was distinctly heard 
from the yard a shriek of anguish that caused 
Boleslav's marrow to freeze in his bones. There 
could be no mistake now. That zt/as Regina ! 

** Regina ! ” he cried, and rushed to the window 
that opened on the yard. There the mad chase 
was in full cry. A crew of furious dishevelled 
women were dashing over hedges, ditches, waggons, 
barrels, and frozen dunghills, followed by boys 
armed with clubs. The air was thick with flying 
stones. 

Help ! help ! ” shrieked Regina’s voice. But she 
herself was not visible. 

But as he wrenched open the back door she flew 
like a wounded bird into the dark corridor, followed 
closely by her would-be assassins whooping and 
panting. 

He pulled her with a powerful movement of his 
arm into the room, and shut the door on the furies 
in pursuit. 

She sank on the floor at his feet and pressed her 
face against the hem of his coat. 

Her hands relaxed their cramped grasp on two 
splintered pieces of wood — all that was left of her 
tub, the shield with which she had been in the habit 
of warding off assaults. Her hair was loose, her 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 237 

dress tom, the pretty fur-trimming that she had been 
so proud of, hanging about her in tatters. 

^ A charming pair of lovers,” said Herr Merckel, 
rubbing his hands in keen enjoyment of the scene, 
while the Schrandeners displayed a strong disposi- 
tion to continue the work begun outside by their 
womankind. The very sight of Regina was suffi- 
cient to excite to an uncontrollable degree their 
predilection for throwing something.” With a 
yell of delight they looked round them in search of 
missiles, — and already two earthenware mugs had 
been hurled into the gentry’s parlour, one of which 
struck the carpenter on the shoulder. This instinct 
for smiting was now stronger in them than the 
thirst for a life. 

The Landrath wrung his bony hands in despair. 
All his courtesy and distinction of manner was lost 
on this pack of devils. 

Herr Landrath^^ said Boleslav, pointing to the 
woman cowering almost insensible at his feet, 
beg you to make a note of this pandemonium. If 
you do not feel inclined to interfere, I take the 
liberty to warn you that you may have to appear in 
your own august person as a witness in a court of 
law against these gallant people.” 

Certainly the Landrath seemed hardly aware of 
the pitiable figure he was cutting. His splendid 
mane now hung in shaggy disorder about his face, 
which had assumed a peevish expression. 

‘^Merckel,” he rasped, “you are mayor. I’ll 
have you superseded, unless you can maintain 


238 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

order. Order ! do you hear, good people. Order ! 
This is breaking the public peace. You deserve 
imprisonment — in fact you shall be sent to prison. 
Taken with arms in your hand, means three years, 
not a day less than three years, good people. To- 
morrow I shall send gendarmes, three gendarmes." 

It must have been his good angel that put this 
threat into his head, for no other could have had 
the same effect in bringing the rebels to their 
senses. Since the war no gendarmes had been 
stationed in Schranden, which was a piece of good 
fortune not to be scouted at, for its inhabitants 
feared gendarmes more than they feared the king. 

Herr Merckel, who began to tremble for his 
office, was now assiduous in his efforts to restore 
peace. His son leant back with folded arms in the 
corner of the window-seat, affecting to be highly 
amused at the proceedings. 

But the old pastor's gaze never wavered from 
the pair, and seemed to be searching the innermost 
recesses of their hearts. 

“Stand up, Regina,” said Boleslav to the kneeling 
girl. “ They shall not hurt you. I will defend you.” 

But she remained huddled at his feet, still quaking 
with fear. 

“ It’s not true, Herr^ that they are going to take 
you away?” she sobbed. “If it is, I will starve 
myself and freeze to death.” 

“ No, it’s not true ; but get up, Regina.” 

“Master; ah, my dear, dear master!” and she 
pressed her forehead against his knee. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 239 

Boleslav von Schranden, do you deny it now ? ” 
Deny what ? ” he asked. ** That this poor un- 
happy girl whom you have denounced and ostracised 
regards me as her rescuer and saviour, because I 
am the first who for years has spoken a kind word 
to her? Or would you have me deny that this 
same unhappy girl has endeared herself to me, 
because she is the only human being on God’s 
earth who has clung to me in my hour of need, 
when every one else has forsaken me? I should 
be an ungrateful ruffian if I did not value her after 
all she has done for me. I never asked her to 
share my solitude among the ruins. It is not so 
comfortable or lively up there, and all my goodness 
to her has consisted in my allowing her to sacrifice 
herself for me. I have not been able to supply 
her with pleasures. There has been no unlawful 
intimacy between us. If she prefers to be my 
body-slave to being stoned and harried to death, 
that is no concern of any one’s in the world, least 
of all of you Schrandeners, and of that despicable 
drunkard who prostituted his own flesh and blood.” 

Gently prompted by old Merckel, the carpenter 
recommenced playing the r 61 e of injured father. 

^‘Oh my daughter ! my poor, misguided daughter !” 
he groaned. 

‘‘Do your duty,” urged the landlord; “reclaim 
her.” 

“Come, my child; come back to your broken- 
hearted, deserted father. He has taken to drink 
through grief . . . driven to it. He will only make 


240 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

two more coffins ; one for himself and one 
for ” 

He stretched out his dirty hand to her, which, 
shuddering, she violently repulsed. 

Do not distress yourself further,” said Boleslav, 
*^She belongs to me as I belong to her.” 

Nevertheless, I demand her from you this day, 
Boleslav von Schranden,” said the old pastor, placing 
his hand on Regina's head. She cowered, but let 
it lie there. 

That you may be able to stone her better ? ” 

I promise you that no harm shall come to her. 
I will confide her to the care of one of my spiritual 
brethren, who will see to her wants for this side 
of the grave and the other. If you oppose her 
redemption, you will only be knitting the chain of 
your sin the closer.” 

Boleslav was silent. A thousand thoughts rushed 
through his brain. This old man’s word was to be 
relied on ; he was no cheat. And what lawful claim 
had he to this woman lying helpless at his feet? 
How could he make it worth her while to perpetually 
risk her life for him ? 

Then the Landrath, who had partially recovered 
from his panic, put in his word. Is the young 
person of age ? ” he asked. 

The pastor calculated a moment, and replied in 
the affirmative. 

^^The vts paterna therefore cannot be enforced 
against her wishes, otherwise she might be sent to 
a penitentiary, where ” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 241 

The rest of his speech was cut short by a burst of 
ironical laughter from Boleslav. 

She may decide for herself. Does that satisfy 
you, Herr Baron ? ” 

** I shall not influence her one way or the other,” 
he muttered, and he felt the form at his feet vibrate. 
He bent over her. Regina, do you hear what the 
pastor promises to do for you ? You know your 
future is monetarily provided for. Will you leave 
the rest, and go with him.” 

Then she lifted her glowing face streaming with 
tears to his, and sobbed out, Please, Herr^ don't 
make fun of me.” 

** You wish to stay with me ? ” 

** Ah, Herrf you know I wish it. Why do you 
ask?” 

** Stand up then, and we will go.” 

The pastor barred their way. He had become 
ashy pale, and his vulture gaze pierced Boleslav 
through and through. He laid his hand solemnly 
on his shoulder as he had done the day he had 
demonstrated to him his father’s guilt. 

** My son,” he said, ** you too I received into holy 
baptism, and taught you to lisp God’s name, and 
opened your eyes to the marvels of His creation. 
You were to me as my own child, and more, because 
you were the son of my terrestrial lord and master. I 
have to answer for you too before the throne of God. 
You have not been able to clear yourself of the sus- 
picion that rests upon you, and if I read your soul 
aright— don't cast down your eyes — I think I am not 

Q 


242 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

mistaken. Therefore, I again command you to give 
up this woman. I command and exhort you to do 
so in the name of your father, the name of the 
parish, the name of our Master in heaven who is 
the Father of all orphans and irresponsible children 
who sin unconsciously. Give her up— and you 
shall be acquitted as blameless, and go your way 
in peace.” 

Regina had raised herself, and now clung to his 
arm, trembling from head to foot 

** Come I ” Boleslav said. ** It is to be hoped they 
will let us pass,” and he made a motion as if he were 
going to push by the old man. But he planted 
himself again in their way, and holding his arms 
aloft, said — 

Then you are worthy of your father. And as I 
once cursed him, I curse you to-day, you and this 
woman together. You shall be like Cain, whom the 
Lord banished from His sight. . . . You shall be a 
fugitive and an outcast on the earth, and your home 
shall lie in ruins for evermore. There you shall abide 
with this woman. . . . Now go! Make room for 
them there ! and who lifts a hand against either of 
them or lays a finger on them shall be cursed, as 
they are cursed.” 

Boleslav uttered a sound that broke discordantly 
on the solemn silence — 

Come ! ” he said, and took Regina's hand in his ; 
** let the old man curse, it seems to be his trade ; ” 
but he felt a cold shiver run through him. 

He saw a lane open which reached to the door. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 243 

in the densely-packed tap-room. Hand in hand he 
and Regina walked down it. 

No one laughed, no one sneered, no one stirred. 
A superstitious awe seemed to have struck the on- 
lookers dumb. The breath of the winter evening met 
their faces with an icy tooth. Had some one spread 
the news of what had happened within, among the 
crowd that waited outside, or had they divined it by 
instinct ? Here too was profound silence ; here too 
a path was made for them, which they followed, 
bending their footsteps riverwards with bower! 
heads. 


CHAPTER XIV 


The glow in the evening sky faded. A violet ! 
vapour hung about the bare tracery of the tree-tops, | 
and showers of sparkling crystals rained from the 
branches. i! 

Boleslav ground the snow under his heel. His ^ 
breath curled in front of him in slender columns, j 
The keen frosty air was balm to his fevered face, j 
He had sent Regina on before, and was trying to j 
regain calmness and presence of mind in solitary | 
wandering, for his brain boiled like a witch’s 
caldron. 

The curse stood out intangibly in his ruminations ; 
it was like the bogey that little children people the 
darkness with. He saw it everywhere ; it haunted 
him. How well his father’s old enemy had availed 
himself of the opportunity of doing what probably 
he had long connived at, putting the son under the 
same ban as the father. 

But it was a terrible reflection to think he might 
have deserved that curse. As it was, he had not 
merited it ; a thousand times no ! What the veteran 
priest in his dark suspicion had alluded to as an 
accomplished brutal fact, had really only swept his 
soul with phantom wings. Now that his conscience 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 245 

was awakened to the danger of the situation, the 
danger itself was over. After all, he ought to be 
indebted to the pastor for showing him the yawning 
precipice that lay at his unwary feet. 

Think no more of it,” he said to himself; “I 
am the master, she the servant, and I should be an 
accursed ” 

He stopped. Was he not already accursed? 
Then he laughed at his foolish fears. It was childish 
to mind. Bah I he was too susceptible. At all 
events, this day should be the beginning of a new 
epoch in his relations with the outer world. The 
possession of the iron cross was a proof that he was 
not dishonoured or outside the pale of law and 
justice. With it he might, if he had the courage, 
outwit the knavish tricks of his personal enemies, 
and appeal to the assistance of the Courts. If the 
judge of the district had chosen to condone the fire 
by ‘ignoring it, he might in his turn light a fire that 
would send forth such a blaze that the very holes 
where the incendiaries skulked would be illuminated. 
But it would involve dragging his father^s dealings 
also into the fierce light of day. Could he dare to 
disturb the peace of the dead, like a body-snatcher, 
and blazon forth the shame of his house in the face 
of all the world ? 

His mouth became distorted with the defiance that 
inwardly consumed him. He felt for the moment 
as if deliberate self-destruction were a mere joke. 
Why should he hold back; stop at anything? 
Was he not under a curse? A bitter laugh 


246 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS j 

rose in his throat. He could not forget that | 
curse I i 

Then he went into the house. Regina was laying j 
the table for supper. She had mended her jacket, 
and smoothed out her hair with water. Her face I 
was as calm as if nothing in the least out of the 
way had happened; only a scratch on her throat, 
testified to the hours of peril she had lately lived 
through. 

With affected severity he asked, ** What induced 
you, Regina, to be so silly as to come near the inn ? 

She measured him with a shy glance. I beg 
your pardon, Herr^' she said, with a graceful bend 
of her neck. ** I found your letter, and I saw every- j 
thing swimming green and yellow before my eyes, it 
made me feel so queer. I hardly knew what I was 
about. I thought perhaps I could help to set you 
free.»» 

“ Stupid child ! ” he said, and laughed ; but a 
feeling rose within him that had to be forcibly 
repressed. 

“ Bring the wine,” he ordered, as he sat down 
to the table. 

Which kind, Herr?'' 

‘‘The best. It is high fekival and holiday 
to-day ! ” 

She looked at him in surprise, and went. 

“Fetch a glass for yourself,” he said, as she 
uncorked the grey cobwebby bottle. 

“Oh, please, Herr^ I'd rather not. It's too 
strong.” 


THE SINS OF THE f*Aini!,Kb 247 

** Nonsense ! you will get used to it.” 

^ Perhaps, Herr^ 

He poured out the wine. The dark-gold fluid 
foamed sparkling into the slender-stemmed emerald 
rummers, which, perishable as they were, had been 
saved from the ruins. 

Clink!” he said. 

The glasses as they came in contact produced 
music like muffled bells. 

‘^The curse of a priest has to-day coupled me 
with her,” he thought, and his eyes sought hers 
and probed their depths. How extraordinary ! how 
monstrous ! ” This woman was to be part of his 
existence, the old man had said. This woman — 
why, oh, why this one ? 

curse is a sanction,” he meditated further. 
** Something that never happened, and never would 
have happened, through him has been substantiated 
and vouched for before Heaven as if it were an 
established fact.” 

And again his thoughts began to encroach 
stealthily on that forbidden ground, in whose in- 
surmountable barriers the preacher’s words them- 
selves had quarried access. You are master,” he 
repeated the formula over and over to himself, 
” she the servant ; ” and then he added, What is 
more, she is your slave, and so let it be.” 

One course of action seemed clear enough at the 
moment, and that was that progress must be made 
immediately with his work of retaliation. He bade 
Regina remove the dishes and bring another bottle 


248 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

of wine. Then he fetched his writing materials and 
motioned her to sit down in the place she had 
occupied on Christmas evening. With shy delight 
she obeyed, for since that night she had spent her 
evenings till bed-time alone in the vestibule. 

‘‘I’m going to ask you, Regina,*’ he began, ^^to 
answer very briefly, and to the point, several 
questions ! ” 

She started, then whispered, *‘Yes, Herr.'' 

Drink, and that will make you more talkative.” 

She struggled to do as he desired, but to-day the 
effect the wine had upon her was to make her more 
nervous and reserved, instead of less so. 

^^To go back to the night in which you led the 
French across the Cats’ Bridge. Was there any one 
on the premises who knew of the expedition ? ” 

*‘No, Herr." 

** How did it get wind in the village then ? ” 

She cast down her eyes. I believe through me, 
Herr" she stammered. 

** To whom did you confide the information ? ” 

To my father.” 

How, and when ? ” 

** He used to come to the Castle secretly from 
time to time to get money from me, and if I hadn’t 
any to give him he pinched and beat me.” 

** Why did you not call out for help ? ” 

** Because it was at night, Herr ; and if he had 
been found there they would have flogged him.” 

*‘Go on.” 

“ And so he came soon after . . . after the expedi- 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 249 

tion, I mean . . . and asked me to do all sorts of 
things. I was to get money from the gnadiger Herr 
... or to turn out his pockets when no one was 
looking ; and to be left in peace, I fetched the bag 
the French General had given me. And when he 
saw the moonlight shine on the coin that was in it, 

he was half mad ” 

She paused abruptly. 

“Well?” 

“Must I say it, Herr?'' 

“ Of course you must.” 

“ But he is my father, Herr^ 

“ You are to do as I command you.” 

She drew a deep sigh and went on. “And he 
caught hold of me by the throat with one hand, 
and beat me with the other, and hissed in my ear : 

* Unless you confess how you came by all that money, 

ril squeeze the life out of you ' And when I 

could hardly breathe, I " 

He laughed harshly to himself. His father and 
^er father — both had resorted to the same chivalrous 
measures. 

Regina thought the laugh was at her expense. 

“ Ah, Herr^' she went on with an imploring 
upward glance, “I was so dreadfully stupid then. 
Even a fortnight later, when they cross-examined 
me, they could have strangled me before they would 
have got anything out of me. But then — I suppose 

it was because he was my father ” 

“Oh yes, I understand. You told tales out of 
school to your father. Well, what else ? ” 


250 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS i 

‘‘The very same night my conscience pricked 
me, and in the morning when I took the gnadiger 
Herr his coffee — he would always have me take it 
— I told him all.’^ 

** And what did he say ? ” 

He turned as white as chalk, but said nothing ; 
at first. He took down a gun from the wall and 
pointed it at me ; I folded my hands and closed my j 

eyes, and then I heard him utter an oath, and | 

then he put the gun over his shoulder and rushed , 

out. I thought to myself, he's gone to put an end [ 

to father ! And I watched him run towards the 
drawbridge with his two bloodhounds, and then ji 

I, as quick as lightning, hurried through the park, I 

across the Cats’ Bridge to the village, to let father | 

know his life was in danger. Had he been at home | 

I couldn’t have saved him. But he was in the Black 
Eagle, and had blabbed everything the night before, | 
and was now blind drunk. The gnadiger Herr won’t ! 
fetch him out of the Black Eagle, I thought — and be- 
sides it was too late, for Herr Merckel and every one 
knew, and they all made a great hullabaloo when 
they saw me, and caught hold of me, and tried to 
force me to speak ; but I bit my tongue till it bled, 
and kept silent. Then they let me go, and I ran to 
meet the gnadiger Herr^ and threw myself at his 
feet, saying, ^ Spare his life, for it will do no good to 
take it. All the world knows now.’ . . He gave me 
a kick that made me faint, but he left father alone. 

And then a fortnight after a gendarme came for me, 
and took me to the Black Eagle. There, in the 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 251 

wine-room, were assembled five or six gentlemen ; 
the Herr Landrathy who was there to-day, among 
them. And they shut the door behind me, and 
began to cross-question me. I felt as if I could do 
nothing but cry, and then I grew calmer, and pre- 
tended that father had dreamt it all in one of his 
drunken fits. But they showed me the bag he 
had taken from me — and so — Herr ... I was 
obliged to say . . . that the money . . . was the . . . 

reward . . . that I ” She broke off, and hid 

her face that was suffused with a dark crimson flush 
of shame, in her hands. 

Proceed with your story,” he commanded, grind 
ing his teeth. 

*^They didn't believe me, Herr^ but they saw it 
was no good trying to get the truth out of me, and 
asked me no more questions. And then they held 
a consultation in low voices (but I have good ears, 
and understood all they were saying), as to whether 
they should lock me up till I found my tongue, and 
arrest the gnddiger Herr^ and so on, and then they 
came to the conclusion that to blaze it abroad would 
cause too great a scandal in the district, and be a 
dishonour to the whole of Prussia, and as there was 
no direct proof, the affair might be left in the dark. 
I have forgotten the exact words, but it was some- 
thing like that.” 

“ And then they let you go ? " 

^^Yes. Herr Merckel said I was to take myself 
off, or my presence might breed a pestilence in the 
house.” 


252 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

A silence ensued : then hastily gulping down three 
more glasses of the old wine, he said — 

** Now, then, for the night of the fire ! ” 

She jumped up from her chair and stared at him, 
her eyes starting with horror. 

“ What ! Tm to tell you about the fire ? * 

“All you can recollect." 

“All! . . . Not all, Herr?" 

“All." 

“ Herr ... I can’t.” The words rattled in her 
throat like a death-agony. 

“ You mean you refuse ? ” He too had risen, and 
stood looking at her with dilated eyes. 

She folded her hands on her breast. “I have 
always been obedient, Herr^ to your every wish. I 
have never been unwilling or grumbled. I’ll go on 
doing all you order me to do. If you say, ^ Go out 
and be stoned to death,’ I’ll go. But just this one 
thing, I beseech you from the bottom of my heart, 
don’t ask me ? ” 

He regarded her in wrathful amazement. So 
accustomed had he become to her unconditional 
obedience, that this explosion in her of a spark of 
resistance was incomprehensible to him. Was his 
power over her, that he had imagined unlimited, 
thus suddenly to end ? Surely this woman had of 
her own accord made herself his body^slave ? She 
had sold herself body and soul to his house, and 
therefore it was unpardonable presumption in her 
to assert unexpectedly that she had a will of her 


own. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 253 

The blood mounted hotly to his head, and his 
eyes flashed. You shall ! — I say you shall / ” 

She retreated and shrank against the wall. From 
the dark background her eyes shone out at him like 
a persecuted wild-cat’s. ** I won’t,” she muttered. 

All the inherited brutality of the feudal master 
awoke in him. The wine, too, was doing its work. 
He sprang on her, and caught her by the breast. 

The buttons of her jacket burst beneath his 
violent attack, and her bare bosom gleamed forth. 
He transfixed her with the intensity of his gaze. 

Shall I throttle her, or shall I kiss her?” he 
asked himself, and fumbled for her throat. 

Then in her deadly terror she made a counter- 
attack. Her hands were fastened in his shoulders 
like iron rivets. It needed a gathering up of all his 
strength to withstand their muscular pressure. 

A noiseless struggle began. It lasted a minute, 
and yet seemed to be no nearer its end. Embittered 
' and desperate at first as a wrestle for life and death, 
it became eventually a sort of game. The combat- 
ants apparently had lost sight of what it was they 
were struggling for. His eyes, bloodshot and wild, 
sought hers. Her bosom, wet with perspiration, 
pressed hard against his. Their breathing mingled. 
Tightly locked in each other’s arms they staggered 
I and swayed to and fro. He pressed her in the 
I back of her knee, but she did not yield, and with 
I renewed vigour tried to draw him down to her. 
For one second in their delirious grappling they 
gazed dreamily into each other’s eyes. Then she 

i 

! 


2 54 the sins of the FATHERS . 

vibrated from head to foot, and in the midst of the 
conflict laid her cheek caressingly on the arm that ' 
was raised against her. He saw the action, he saw 
how her eyes hung on his face with melting solici- 
tude — saw the beautiful dishevelled head droop like ? 
a broken flower. 

^‘If you are cursed, why should it be for no- j 
thing?” And as the thought flashed through him, ' 
he bent over her with a sigh, and kissed her on the 
mouth. i 

She groaned aloud, clung heavily to him, and j 
buried her teeth, till they met, in his lips. Then, 
overcome, with suddenly collapsed limbs, she slipped i 
from his arms on to the floor, and lay with the back 
of her head flat on the bare boards. 

He stared down at her half-stunned. She would , 
have looked as if she were dead, had it not been 
for the heaving bosom, that seemed to fight tor 
air. Blood trickled from his lip, and unconsciousls 
he wiped it away with his tongue. 

What next ? ” he asked himself. 

The longer he gazed at the prostrate form the 
intenser became his anxiety, till it almost amounted 
to insanity ; anxiety for what must come. 

Away ! out of the house ! Away before she 
moves ! ” an inward voice commanded. He tore 
down his coat from the wall, crushed a fur cap over 
his brow, and flew out into the bitter cold night, as 
if chased by the devil. 

But he could not escape — could not run awa}' 
from wherever he went she was beside him. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 255 

A tornado raged in his breast, and lashed the 
blood to froth in his veins. 

He was fleeing from his young manhood’s senses, 
and they were in hot pursuit. 

He dashed through the woods at full speed. The 
frosty air did not cool him, nor the darkness restore 
his serenity. 

Was there no salvation ? None ? 

He thought of the parsonage. A jeering laugh 
rose to his lips. Helene had shrunk from him 
when he had approached her with clean hands and 
a pure heart. What would she do to-day if he 
came into her presence bearing a curse and an in- 
supportable burden of guilt upon him ? 

And yet that one spot of earth was sacred to 
memories of all that had been purest, most peace- 
ful and happy in his blighted life. Ought such a 
refuge of light to be denied to him, even if a 
thousand curses had descended upon his head from 
the outer darkness ? 

Almost against his will his footsteps took the 
road to the village. It was reposing peacefully. 
Only from the windows of the Black Eagle a ruddy 
glow was cast on the white expanse of snow. The 
clock in the church tower struck one. He must 
have been tramping about for five hours, and it 
seemed like five minutes. Faint moonbeams shone 
on the sleigh-ruts, which looked like long white rib- 
bons unrolled on the ground, and the mass of icicles 
hanging from the church roof spread a delicate silver 
filigree on the dark, time-stained walls. 


256 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

He passed the church and came to the parsonage 
garden. There was a light in one of the gable 
windows. His heart seemed to bound into his 
throat. He swung himself over the hedge, and 
strode through the deep snow to the summer-house, 
which stood at a distance of twenty paces from the 
gable. In its shadow he took up his position. 

A white curtain was drawn across the illuminated 
casement. On the surface of the chintz a delicate 
tracery of leaves and stalks was reflected from 
flower-pots inside. There was her virgin paradise ; 
there she ruled as modestly and sweetly as the 
Madonna in her rose-garden. 

And again the picture in the cathedral rose before 
his mental eyes, as it always did when he tried 
to realise the presence of the beloved. Oh ! for 
one second in which to feast his bodily eye on that 
dear, forgotten face, so that what time and guilt i 
had deadened in him might revive and live anew ! 

For a moment the outline of a girl's figure 
darkened the illuminated window-pane. A corner 
of the curtain was lifted. 

Instinctively he stretched out his arms. The 
curtain dropped quickly, and a moment afterwards 
the light within was extinguished. 

He waited, hardly daring to draw a breath, for a 
sign from the darkened spot. But none came. All 
was motionless and still. 

** It is madness to think of it ! ” he said to himself. 

Probably she didn’t recognise you. She only saw 
a man's figure that gave her a fright. Make haste I 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 257 

For the whole house will be roused and turned out 
to hunt the supposed thief.” 

So he retraced his steps. In turning into the 
street he was conscious that his blood was flowing 
more calmly, and his pulses not throbbing so fiercely. 
Being in her neighbourhood even for a few minutes 
had soothed him. 

Where now ? ” Anywhere in the world, but not 
home. At the bare thought of that outstretched figure 
on the floor, his veins began to pulsate again with 
violence. Oh, she was a fiend, and he hated her ! 

He took a side path, not knowing where it led. It 
was divided from the Castle island by stables and 
carters* huts, and ended in an open field. On the 
opposite side, he saw the indigo belt of woods that 
encircled the flat white plains. The woods drew 
him towards them again like a magnet. There he 
would hide, in their majestic depths where the peace 
of winter reigned and slept its mysterious dreamless 
slumber. 

He trod the pathless field covered with hills and 
dales of snow which swept away before him like the 
billows of a boundless ocean of liquid light. His 
feet crunched through the frozen crust till he sank 
to his knees, and then it needed all his powers to 
step forwards once more. But with strenuous effort 
he ploughed his way, still taking flight from his own 
thoughts. There was something almost comforting 
in this objectless striving. His lungs fought for 
breath ; moisture poured from every pore of his body 
as he plunged and stumbled on. Here and there 

R 


258 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

the crust was strong enough to bear him, and then 
he felt as if he had been endowed with wings and 
floated over the ground, till another crash laid him ; 
low, grovelling on his hands and knees. 

Now the wall of woods rose higher and darker 
before him ; he was only a hundred steps from 
his goal, when his eye was arrested by something in : 
the shape of a hillock extending a distance of about I 
fifty or sixty feet in the direction of the wood, j 
Coming nearer, he saw it was too regular in form i 
for a hillock, and its corners too sharply defined. A 
few feet off there was a second mound of the same 
description, and to the left again, a third. They 
must be gravel heaps, he thought, that had been 
dug up in the autumn and left to be removed till 
after the thaw set in. Why should the peasants 
not get gravel from his property when there was no 
one to prevent them ? 

But what did those crosses mean, that stood out 
so solemnly and eerily in the night, at the foot of 
each mound ? At first he had not noticed them against 
the dark background of the woods. They were i 
three in number. Roughly hewn out of fir trunks, 
they were so firmly planted in the earth, that they ; 
did not move a hair’s-breadth when he shook them. 
They bore no inscription, and if they had, he would 
not have been able to read it. Inscrutable as memo- 
rials of forgotten misfortune, they stood ranged there 
in the dim moonlight like rugged sentinels. 

And then the mystery was solved. He saw what 
they were. With a loud cry he dropped his face in 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 259 

his hands. He had stumbled on the graves of the 
men who had fallen on that accursed night in the 
year ’7. Here lay the bones of his father’s victims. 
What evil chance had led him here to-night ? Or 
was it chance ? Had not a thousand invisible arms 
beckoned him cajolingly and irresistibly along this 
maniacal route, and let him fight his way through 
snow and ice, till he was ready to faint from ex- 
haustion ? It seemed as though fate had kept in 
reserve the most excruciating lash of her scourge 
till this hour of his bitterest humiliation; so that 
he should no longer be in doubt as to there being 
any salvation in store for him, and to demonstrate 
once for all that he was doomed to sink for ever 
under the weight of shame and despair. 

But it is well that I came,” he said, conversing 
with himself; ** where better can I convince myself 
that the old pastor’s curse was not unjust — and that 
what was not a sin, has become one ? ” 

His eyes wandered over the row of flattened graves, 
and now there seemed no end to them. . . . How 
many were buried there ? If they had been closely 
packed, a hundred or more might rest in each grave — 
or perhaps even double that number. And they had 
all been brave soldiers who had left their homes gaily, 
in light-hearted devotion to fight for King and Father- 
land. . . . Through foulest treachery they had been 
butchered here in cold blood, under cover of night. 

He clung to one of the crosses, and held his face 
so tightly against the rough wood that splints dug 
into his flesh. 


26o the sins of the FATHERS j 

‘‘ Arraign him before the whole world ! ** some- , 
thing cried within him — ^^him and her — and then 
go with her to perdition.” i] 

He gazed at the distant prospect, and sought ; 
the outline of the ruins against the horizon. But 
nothing was visible except the tall trees that crowned | 
the park, which were only dimly discernible. A i 
little behind to the right of them lay the Cats’ j 
Bridge. j 

He could fancy her emerging from those trees 
with the troop of remorselessly cruel Frenchmen | 
following her, bent on their work of blood. How 
terrible must the regular echo of their marching ! 
feet have sounded in her ears. Deeper and deeper ' 
into the wood they must have gone, till they reached ■ 
that ravine which ran parallel with the thicket, al- • |i 
most in a half-circle. She had never told him the 
road she had taken, but he saw exactly how it had i 
all happened. Everything was as plain as if he had | 
been there himself and seen it with his own eyes. 

He stretched out his arm, and with a trembling ; 
finger traced the path against the horizon. j 

And afterwards when they let her go, and she ' 
had made her way home alone, with the wages of i 
her sin in her pocket — how the cracking of bullets, I 
the beating of drums, the clouds of gunpowder, the i 
death-shrieks of the massacred, must have followed | 
her, galloping at her heels like an army of furies ! ! 

How she had gone on living with those awful j 
sounds ringing in her head, those ghastly pictures | 
floating before her eyes, he could not understand. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 261 

If he had been in her place he would have sought 
instant deliverance in the first halter or pond that 
came handy. 

But not she ! Visions were no terror to her. 
Her conscience, instead of tormenting itself, was 
apparently scarcely conscious of its guilt. She 
had only the feelings of an animal or a demon. 
He shuddered. And it was to her, heVy that he had 
been on the brink of succumbing ! 

Then in his sore distress he flung himself across 
the grave, face downwards in the snow, folded his 
hands and stammered forth an incoherent prayer, 
while tears gushed from his eyes. 

The intense cold of his exposed position stung 
his face, and drove him to stand up again. He 
patrolled the row of graves, unable to evolve a single 
rational thought. He felt as if he were caught in a 
brazen net, that was drawing its meshes tighter and 
tighter around him. 

God in Heaven,” he cried aloud, visit not the 
sins of the fathers on me ! Let the dead sleep. . . . 
I have not murdered them. Let something happen, 
a miracle, a sign, that I may be shown that 
Thou wilt not have me perish in this anguish of 
despair.” He cast his eye round him as if looking 
for help. 

But coldly and unsympathetically the moonlit, 
lead-coloured sky looked down on him. There was 
no sign, no miracle. 

He laughed. *^You are becoming imbecile,” he 
murmured inwardly. 


262 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS , 

An unspeakable exhaustion overwhelmed him. 
He reeled, and his feet gave way beneath him. 
The next moment he was sitting in the cavity 
which the weight of his prostrate figure had made 
in the snow. He drew up the collar of his coat, 
and nearly frozen, brooded on, half sleeping, half 
waking. 

When he rose with cramped limbs, happy to 
have escaped falling asleep and being frozen to 
death, one thin purple streak had appeared in the 
eastern sky. An ague, hot and cold at the same 
time, like the beginning of fever, shook his frame. 

Now there was nothing for it, but to go home. 
But where was he to find the strength necessary to 
obliterate for ever from his mind what had happened 
in the night that was over at last ? His tongue 
instinctively felt for his lip. . . . The wound left by 
the impress of her kiss burned there still. 

And there had been no sign from Heaven, no 
miracle. One course only remained that might save 
him from the worst, and that was death. 

Death ! The thought came to him like a ray of 
light in the darkness, yet his brain was too weary, 
his soul too dispirited for him to grasp it, and it 
died out as quickly as it had come. 

In his own footprints he walked back to the 
village. No one was stirring out of doors, but here 
and there a chimney smoked, and a cock from his 
perch crowed a greeting to the new-born day. 

As he took the path down to the river, he thought 
he saw the fleeting shadow of a woman’s figure 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 263 

nurrying from the drawbridge. Perhaps it was 
Regina, who after long waiting and watching had 
now come to meet him. 

But no! Regina was not so slim and dainty. 
Who in all the village could want to come to the 
drawbridge at this unearthly hour ? His heart beat 
fast. He had been seen. A soft, squealing sound 
fell on the air, and the next instant the figure had 
vanished down a bypath. He did not think of 
following her. It might possibly be a dairymaid 
who had been taking a morning dip, and was shy of 
meeting him ; but on coming to the drawbridge 
he saw footmarks on the freshly fallen hoarfrost, 
and these came to an end at the pillar to which the 
letter-box was fixed. 

Who could be his nocturnal correspondent? It 
was ridiculous, yet a flood of hope suffused his 
soul. 

He snatched the little key, that he always carried 
about with him, from his pocket. The box opened 
— a letter fell out. 

He broke the seal with shaking fingers. Helene’s 
signature ! Had God heard his petition ? Had He 
after all sent him fresh strength for the struggle, 
and deliverance ? 

The dawn gave him sufficient light to read by, 
but the lines danced before his eyes. Only here 
and there he drank in a broken sentence or a single 
word — ^^Wait patiently.” ‘*The hour when I sum- 
mon you to come to me.” ‘'Longing.” “Child- 
hood’s days.” “ Happy.” 


264 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

And one thing that was not written there at all 
he could read distinctly. The sign that he had 
prayed for by the grave of the warriors had fallen 
from Heaven. The miracle had happened ! 

Renewed confidence in himself possessed him. 
He was not forsaken ; he need not yet despair of 
his better self. This pure, bright angel, the good 
genius of his youth, was still faithful, still believed 
in him. Her trust should not be abused. Rather 
die than, through despising himself, bring her to 
feeling shame at her faith in him. 

He turned his face towards the purple morning 
glow, and, raising his hand solemnly, uttered the 
following words : — 

^^God, who art a great and just Judge, and 
visitest the sins of the fathers on the children to the 
third and fourth generation, I hereby swear to take 
my life with my own hand rather than let the 
curse of Thy priest gain ascendency over me. 
Amen.” 

Then he walked towards the house as if freed 
from an intolerable burden. 

Now the devil is exorcised ! ” he said as he 
entered the vestibule, heaving a deep sigh of relief; 
nevertheless, the hand that lifted the latch still 
trembled feverishly. 

He surveyed the room with one quick shy glance. 

In the rosy light of dawn he saw her crouching, 
dressed on her bed, her hands clasped over her 
knees. Her jacket was open ; her hair hung about 
her face in tangled masses. Her dress was 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 265 

exactly as it had been when he left her the evening 
before. 

She raised her head slowly, and gazed at him as 
if in a dream with soft melting eyes. 

He shrank before that gaze. 

“ Haven't you been to bed ? ” he asked in as harsh 
a tone as he could command. 

She continued to look at him with the same bliss- 
fully rigid expression, and said nothing. 

Didn't you hear ? ” he asked again imperiously. 

She did not start as she used to do when he 
spoke thus; but a scarcely perceptible vibration 
passed through her frame, as if the sound of his 
voice filled her with ecstasy. She smiled a little. 

Hear what ? " she asked. 

My question as to why you hadn't been to 
bed." 

** I waited up for you, Herr!* 

“ I did not order you to wait for me.** 

Nor did you forbid me, Herr!* 

He clung to the back of a chair. 

Why are you afraid of her ? ” he asked him- 
self. ^‘You have just sworn that danger exists 
no longer.” 

Then to get rid of her he told her to go and 
prepare him something hot for breakfast. 

She rose deliberately, stretching her stiff limbs. 
A dreamy languor seemed to pervade her whole 
being. Since last night she was completely trans- 
formed. 

Directly he had shut the door after her, he tore 


266 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

the letter from his pocket, and read it to reassure 
himself of is happiness. It ran : — 

‘‘Dear Friend of my Youth, — I hear from 
papa that you have been highly honoured by our 
wise and noble King — that he has made you cap- 
tain of your division, and given you the Iron Cross. 

I congratulate you heartily, and am rejoiced at your 
good fortune. What else passed papa wouldn^t tell 
me, but he was very excited about it, and in a 
great rage when he mentioned you. Ah ! if only 
you could have managed to win his affection and 
the goodwill of the parishioners 1 Then I shouldn’t 
have to be so careful, and could see and speak to 
you often. . . . Dear Boleslav, I implore you never 
to think of coming into the garden again. 

“ You know papa — what he is ; and if he found 
out — ah ! I believe he would kill me ! Wait 
patiently, my dear friend! The Bible says, you 
know, patience shall be rewarded. So have 
patience till the hour when I shall summon you to 
come to me; then I will tell you all the news. 
How full of longing I am to see you ! Oh, those 
lovely days of childhood ! What has become of 
them ? How happy I was then 1 — Your 

“ Helene. 

“ Postscript, — Never come to the garden again. I 
will appoint another place of meeting. Not in the 
garden.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 267 

Strange, that what a few minutes before had filled 
him with delight now seemed flat and colourless, 
and disappointed him. Doubtless the half-wild crea- 
ture was to blame, whose close proximity confused 
his judgment. A kind of delirium of bliss seemed 
to have taken possession of her. And how she had 
smiled ! how strangely she had stared into space ! 

She came back into the room, and moved about it 
like a somnambulist. 

Regina ! ” 

She half closed her lids, and said, ** Yes, Herr'^ 

“ What's the matter with you ? ” 

She smilingly shook her head. Nothing, Herr^' 
she answered, and again that look came into her 
eyes ; they seemed to swim in dreamful contempla- 
tion of some infinite felicity. 

He felt his throat contract. Clearly there was 
still reason to be afraid of himself. 

Then he resolved to speak and listen to her no 
more, but to live in his work. He immersed himself 
in his papers again, sorted and laid aside important 
documents, filed, registered, and made copies of them. 
It seemed to him that he must get everything in order 
in anticipation of some pending catastrophe. 

So the day went by, and the evening. Regina 
crouched in the darkest and remotest corner she 
could find and remained motionless. He dared 
not cast even a glance in her direction. The blood 
hammered in his temples, yellow circles danced 
before his eyes, every nerve in his body was on 
edge from over-fatigue. 


268 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

On the stroke of ten she rose, murmured good- 
night, and disappeared behind her curtain. He 
neither answered nor looked up. 

At eleven he put out the lights and went to 
bed too. 

Why does your heart beat like this ? ” he thought. 

Remember your oath.” But the superstitious, 
indefinable dread of coming disaster haunted him 
like a ghost in the darkness. 

He got up again, and stole with bare feet across 
the room to the case of weapons, that was dimly 
illumined by the newly-risen moon. He caught up 
one of his pistols, which he always kept loaded to 
be forearmed against unforeseen events. It had 
been his faithful friend and protector in many a 
bloody fray. To-day it should protect him from 
himself. With its trigger cocked, he laid it on the 
small table by his bedside. 

^Ht’s doubtful whether you sleep a wink now,” 
he said, as he nestled his head on the pillows. 
Yet scarcely three seconds later he lost conscious- 
ness, and slumber lapped his tired limbs. 

A curious dream recalled him from profoundest 
sleep into a half-dozing wakefulness. He fancied 
he saw two bright eyes like a panther’s glittering at 
him out of the darkness. They were only a few 
inches from his face, and seemed to be fixed on it 
with fiery earnestness, as if with the intention of 
bringing him under the spell of their enchantment. 

His breath came slower, almost stopped, then 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 269 

he felt another breath well over him in full soft 
waves. 

It was no dream after all, for his eyes were wide 
open. The moon cast a patch of light on the 
counterpane of his bed, and still those other lights 
glowed on, devouring him with their fire. The 
outline of a face was visible. A woman's white 
figure bent over him. 

A thrill of mingled pleasure and alarm ran 
through his body. 

** Regina,” he murmured. 

Then she sank on her knees by the bed and 
covered his hands with kisses and tears. In the 
enervation that had crept over him he would have 
stroked the black tresses which streamed across 
the pillow, only he lacked the strength to extricate 
his hands from hers. 

Then — ** Your oath, think of your oath ! ” a voice 
cried within him. 

In dismay, he started up. Not yet fully awake, 
he reeled forwards, and tearing his hands out of 
her grasp, fumbled for the pistol. 

** You, or her.” 

There was a report. Regina, with a cry of pain, 
fell with her forehead against the edge of the bed, 
and at the same moment a great rumbling and 
crackling was heard from the opposite wall. The 
portrait of his beautiful grandmother had crashed 
to the ground. 

He stared wildly round him, only just arriving 
at complete consciousness. 


270 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

** Are you wounded ? ” he asked, laying his hand 
gently on the dark head. 

don’t — know, Herty' and then she glided 
across the floor to her mattress. 

He dressed himself and kindled a light. It now 
all appeared a confused nightmare. 

Ah ! but if she died, if he had killed her ? 

When he drew aside the curtain, he beheld her 
cowering and shivering in her corner, holding up 
the counterpane in her teeth. It was smeared with 
blood. 

‘^For God’s sake — show me. Where were you 
hit ? ” he cried. 

She let the counterpane drop as far as her breast, 
and silently offered her naked shoulder for his in- 
spection. Blood was streaming from it. 

But the first glance satisfied him, the connoisseur 
in wounds, that it was a mere surface shot. It 
would heal of itself in a few days. 

Thank God ! Thank God ! ” 

She stared up at him absently with wide eyes. 

“It is nothing,” he stammered. “A scratch — 
nothing more.” 

She appeared not to hear what he said. 

“ Pull yourself together like a man. Not a word, 
not a look, must betray your real feelings.” 

With this self- exhortation he withdrew, and 
wearily put down the light on the table. 

What now? Where should he go? To stay 
meant ruin and damnation. 

This very hour he must go away. Away I Some- 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 271 

wL^re, anywh&ref so long as a barrier of his 
fellow-creatures separated him from her for ever- 
more. And in breathless haste he began to gather 
together papers that proved his father’s guilt, as 
if they were the most precious possessions in the 
world. 


CHAPTER XV 


More than three months had passed away since 
Boleslav von Schranden had turned his back on the 
inheritance of his fathers. 

In the meantime spring had come. Moss, 
starred with anemones, grew amongst the short- 
bladed grass; the ditches were full of a luxuriant 
growth of bindweed and nettles ; and at every 
breeze the boughs rained a shower of crumbling 
catkins. The plough left a trail of smooth, black 
furrows on the bosom of the awakening earth, and 
seed- cloths were already being put out to air. 

It was the first spring for many and many a long 
year that had begun in peace, and of which there 
were hopes of its ending in peace. 

Europe’s evil genius was vanquished. Like 
Prometheus he lay chained to his barren sea-girt 
rock ; and so the sword was hung up to rust, 
and the ploughshare and harrow resumed their 
sway. 

What had taken place on the shores of the Medi- 
terranean in the month of March, the inhabitants 
of quiet country towns and out-of-the-way moorland 
villages had as yet no suspicion. Not a breath had 
reached them of that interrupted quadrille at Prince 

aja 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 273 

Metternich’s ball, of the fury and consternation 
of sovereigns and potentates ; they knew nothing of 
foam-bespattered proscriptions issued against the 
escaped rebel, of re-arming and rumours of war. 

The lark’s carolling in the sky seemed a jocund 
invitation to resume labour in the fields , the womb 
of the earth opened with yearning for the crops from 
which it had fasted so long. 

One day towards the end of April, a curious 
regiment was seen on the king’s highroad ap- 
proaching the county town of Wartenstein, which 
excited the wondering interest of all whom they 
passed by the way. 

It was not easy to decide at once whether they 
, were soldiers or workmen. Most of them were 
armed, but side by side with the gun on their 
i shoulders was a spade, and from the red bundles 
; slung across their backs peeped whetstones and 
j scythe-blades. Ten or twelve of them were mounted, 

I but behind came as baggage a stream of rough 
: waggons, composed of about twenty axle wheels, 

I loaded with bursting sacks of corn and implements 
of every description. Altogether the regiment num- 
; bered about a hundred and fifty, marching in half 
: military fashion in double file. It consisted of mus- 
' cular youths, for the most part fair and of ruddy 
I complexions, with thickset figures. Their faces were 
j broad and bony, not German, and still less Polish, 
in type. They spoke a language unknown in the 
neighbourhood, and sang songs of which no one 
knew the tune. Notwithstanding, their leader was 

S 


274 the sins of the FATHERS 

German, and so was the discipline which had trained 
their limbs and given to their movements a certain 
dignity of bearing. 

At the head of the procession rode one to whom 
they looked up with awe and affection, and whose 
brief and not unfriendly words of command they 
obeyed with almost childlike zeal. It was Boleslav, 
who came with this little army to reconquer his own 
territory. 

He had recruited it far away in the Lithuanian 
East, on the remotest border of the province, whither 
neither good nor evil reports of the name of Schran- 
den had ever penetrated. During his five years’ pre- 
vious intercourse with this people, he had become 
intimately acquainted with their habits and customs, | 
and took care to choose his pioneers from those who | 
had been in the war, and become accustomed to the 
rigours of a soldier’s life, but who were still unfa- I 
miliar enough with the German tongue to have their j 
minds poisoned by the Schrandeners’ gossip. 

Now he had every hope that the fate of his father, , 
who had failed to find either serf or labourer to bind i 
himself to work for him, would not be his. And i 
should the Schrandeners offer fight to these work- , 
people, as they had done to the Polish serfs whom j 
his father had been obliged to call to his assistance, , 
so much the worse for the Schrandeners ; they would 
only be sent home with bleeding noses. | 

In proud self-reliance he looked coming events in 
the face. He would willingly have returned home | 
earlier, only, to proscute his enterprise on the scale i 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 275 

it demanded, he was forced to wait till the time in 
which he could claim his aunt’s legacy, and so have 
the necessary means at his disposal. 

He had lived through hard times since that 
January night, when, to flee the coercion of his hot 
young blood, he had dashed out into the snow-clad, 
moon-illumined landscape, followed by the cries of 
the unhappy woman who could not understand what 
ailed him. 

It was long before the furnace within him abated, 
and her beseeching, frightened eyes became dimmer 
in his memory. In Konigsberg, where he had gone 
direct from home, he had meditated obtaining, through 
boldly seeking a trial, that justice long denied to his 
house. But though the cross on his breast compelled 
the doors that had been shut on his father to open to 
him, the polite shrug of the shoulders with which 
the judges promised to see what could be done, and 
then coolly referred him to one Court of Appeal 
after another, taught him that the passionate self- 
surrender he had dreamed of would be here ill-timed 
and out of place. 

So he again packed up his father’s correspondence, 
which of his own free will he had desired to make 
public in order to clear up every shadow of mystery, 
and felt he must keep it till a more favourable op- 
portunity offered itself. Besides, he had destroyed 
too much that might have had a vindicating effect, 
and to court the risk of his own condemnation might 
after all be acting unfairly to his father’s memory. 

Contact with the outer world cooled and damped 


276 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

in a singular way his ardour; and the feverish 
tension of his emotions gradually relaxed, giving 
place to a more normal state of mind. He was 
confronted with reasoning instead of anathemas, 
courteous words instead of threats — and this worked 
a soothing and beneficial influence on his nature. ; 
He projected plans, and prepared himself with com- | 
posure and deliberation for what the future might ; 
have in store for him. i 

At the same time the magic fascination the wild 
girl had exercised on him was becoming dimmer i 
in his recollection. Every new face, every new 
thought, alienated him further from her. Gradually 
he ceased to reproach himself for having acted with i 
merciless cruelty towards her, and the mastery she , 
had acquired over his senses was now incompre- | 
hensible to him. Nevertheless, often when he sat 

I 

alone at dusk in his private room at the hosteliy, he j 
saw those eyes again flashing soft fire, and felt her 
presence thrill through his veins. Then it seemed as 
if the scar, that furrowed horizontally his under lip, | 
began to burn like an inflammatory record of that ' j 
kiss, the only one that the lips of a woman had ever 
imprinted on his, for his shy and reserved manner ' 
had all his life repelled, and kept women at a distance. I 
At such times his whole existence seemed compressed i 
into that one moment’s ecstasy. But of course this | 
was only a freak, illusive reverie played his senses, ! 
which lamplight and work soon dispelled. i 

He had written to her once or twice in order to | 
set her mind at rest on the subject of his sudden i 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 277 

departure, or rather flight — had asked for an answer, 
and promised a speedy return. 

Once he had had news of her — a letter written 
in bold characters and correctly expressed. After 
all these years of bondage, the lessons she had 
learnt in the old pastor’s school still evidently stood 
her in good stead. 

In prospect of his near approach to his home, he 
drew the sheet from his pocket, and read sitting in 
the saddle the lines, which, in spite of himself, he 
almost knew by heart. 

My dear Master, — Don’t be anxious on my 
account. No one will do anything to me. They 
do not know down in the village that you are gone 
away, and they are frightened of the wolf-traps, for 
no one has told them that we cleared them away. 
Every night I see to the pistols and guns in case 
they should come; but they won’t come. As for 
the wound, I have quite forgotten it. The grocer 
at Bockeldorf gave me some English sticking-plaster, 
and when it peeled off, it was entirely healed. The 
thaw and floods are now over, thank God. For 
several days I was obliged to go with very little 
food, because the water was too high on the 
meadows for me to wade through, and I would 
rather have died than go down to Herr Merckel. 
Ah ! dear master, I am so glad that you are coming 
home soon ; for I seem to have nothing to live for, 
when I have not you to wait upon. I climb up on 
the Cats’ Bridge very often and wait for you there. 


278 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

so that when you come you shall not find it 
drawn up. Please don’t come in the night, nor 
on Thursday before seven, because then I shall 
be going to Bockeldorf. The snow is all gone 
now, and the grass is beginning to get quite green. 
Yesterday I heard the swallows twittering in the 
nest they have built in the eaves; but I haven’t | 
seen them yet. Now and then I suffer from stitch 
in my side, and giddiness, and I have not much 
appetite. I believe it comes from being so much 
alone, which I cannot bear. But I don’t know why ' 

I should tell you all this. Perhaps it is because j 

you were always so kind to me. I can’t help 
always remembering your great kindness to me. ! 

— ^Your Hochgeboreti s humble servant, i 

Regina Hackelberg.” I 

This letter had filled him with pleasure and | 

satisfaction, for it showed on the one hand that 1 

she had very reasonably bowed to the inevitable, 
and that there was no cause for his anxiety; and I 

on the other, that she still faithfully clung and | 

belonged to him heart and soul. And glad as he 
might be to feel his blood purged of the unwhole- 
some excitement with which she had inspired it, he 
could not help being pleased at this proof of her 
remaining ever his true and willing servant. 

His belief in Helene’s sacred influence on his 
destiny had, he imagined, received a new impetus, 
since her note had saved him in an hour of im- 
minent danger. He wore it gratefully as a talisman 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 279 

on his heart, even if he did not read it so often, 
and with such delight, as he read Regina’s. 

Soon after his arrival in the capital, an intense 
yearning had drawn him to the Cathedral, where 
he had sought out the old altar-piece, which con- 
tained her living image. He experienced a bitter 
disappointment. The Madonna amidst her lilies and 
roses appeared absolutely ridiculous. She looked 
to him now as if she had been baked out of 
Marzepatiy and the flowers, with their stiff stalks 
and drooping heads, appeared as unnatural and 
insipid as their doll custodian. 

And this was what he had carried about with 
him for years, as the facsimile of his beloved ! 
Certainly it was high time she appeared in her 
own person before his bodily eyes, otherwise he 
would be in danger of loving a mere phantom. 

And now, in this the hour of home-coming, it 
was not ^e at all with whom he looked forward 
to a joyous meeting; his senses saw only the pic- 
ture of a girl waiting and watching for him, whose 
fresh and unbounded loveliness was no myth. 

It was early morning and the sun was shining. 
He had made his last halt, the night before, at a 
hamlet not far from Wartenstein, as he proposed 
to pass rapidly through the town, to avoid being 
gaped at, and exciting idle curiosity. Once there 
he was within three miles and a quarter of home, 
and hoped to enter his native village at the 
hour for vespers, for his stalwart followers were 
used to rapid marching. As he rode up to the 


280 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


moss-grown ramparts, eight sounded from the 
belfries of Wartenstein, and he counted on being 
’»,ble to quit the town quite early, and so escape 
awkward questions. 

Thus, he was little prepared for the surprises 
awaiting him within its gates. The sentinel, in- 
stead of stopping him and demanding his passport, 
shouted up to a window in the gateway tower — 
Ring the bells ! ring the bells ! The first 
detachment is here ! ” 

Then he saluted with his pike, while a merry 
peal clashed from the watch-towers of Wartenstein 
to announce Boleslav’s arrival. 

^‘What can be the meaning of it?” he asked 
himself, shaking his head ; and his astonishment 
increased, when on riding through the streets he 
found them thronged with crowds of men, women, 
and children, who waved their caps and handker- 
chiefs, and welcomed him with resounding cheers. 

His Lithuanians, who had been accustomed on 
their triumphal marches to being received every- 
where with open arms, took the present ovation as 
a matter of course, and responded to the hurrahs 
with lusty lungs. 

But to Boleslav it was plain that there was some 
misunderstanding, which in the next few minutes 
would be explained. 

As he entered the market-place, which, like the 
streets, was filled with an enthusiastic crowd, the 
Landrath, at the head of an impressive procession, 
consisting of the Burgomaster, Corporation, and 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 281 

other magnates of the town, advanced to meet him. 
He laid his delicate, bony hand on his breast, 
and cleared his throat with a rasp, preparatory to 
speaking. 

When he recognised Boleslav, who had quickly 
sprung from his horse, he drew back in embarrass- 
ment. Nevertheless he began — 

“ I congratulate you, Freiherr von Schranden, on 
your being the first who has hastened here with 
your troops ” 

“ Not so fast, Herr Landrath^^^ Boleslav inter- 
rupted. There is an error somewhere. These 
people are workmen, whom I have recruited in 
Lithuania for domestic use. I am on my way with 
them to Schranden.” 

An amused smirk passed through the ranks of 
the town magnates. They enjoyed seeing the 
Landrath make a fool of himself, even if they them- 
selves were made to look foolish in the process. 

^^And you really haven'^ beard yet?" he stam- 
mered out, concealing his arino3rance. 

I have come straight from the remotest corner 
of Prussia, Herr Landrath.^^ 

^^You haven’t heard that Napoleon has escaped 
from Elba, and that the King has again appealed to 
his gallant Prussian subjects to arm ? ” 

Boleslav felt a rush of mingled horror and joy 
flood his heart. 

So once more the world’s history had absorbed 
the solution of his career in its own, and he would 
be saved further self-doubt and suspense with 


282 THL SINS OF THE FATHERS 


regard to it. His vast schemes, the work to which 
he was to consecrate his life, lay shattered at his 
feet scarcely begun, and now ended perhaps for 
ever. But away with all regrets and fears. Did 
not the Fatherland, his Fatherland, call him ? 

Thank you, Herr Landrath!' he said, while he 
endeavoured to still his wildly beating heart. 
feel honoured at your thinking so well of me and 
my contingent of Schrandeners. We will prove ; 
ourselves worthy of your high opinion, and in four- 
and-twenty hours be in readiness.” I 

The Landrath held out his hand. He retreated a i 
step or two, and was in the act of repaying the 
Landrath in his own coin for the insult he had not 
long ago subjected him to. 

Then he reflected. The Fatherland calls you, and 
what is your petty hate or love weighed in the 
balance ? And he seized the bony hand, which its 
owner, offended, had already withdrawn, and shook 
it heartily. 

Then he learnt further particulars. The evening 
before the King’s proclamation, dated April 7, had 
reached Wartenstein. All night the administration 
had been hard at work getting the decrees ready for 
local heads of departments, and arranging to send 
out special mounted messengers to distribute them. 

Will one be sent to Schranden ? ” asked 
Boleslav. 

“ Certainly,” was the answer. 

^‘Then may I add a military order?" 

“ Yes, if you wish.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 283 

He tore a sheet of paper from his pocket-book 
and hastily scribbled the following lines : — 

** At five o'clock in the afternoon all troops liable 
to service are to muster in the churchyard square, 
bringing with them accoutrements and canteens. 
The hour for marching will then be stated. 

**VoN SCHRANDEN, Landwehr Captain. 

To the local administrator.” 

“ And what will become of Regina ? ” was a ques- 
tion that rose warningly within him. 

But he would not listen to it. He was almost 
delirious. The fever for action possessed him. 

He called his workpeople together, explained to 
them that he no longer needed their services, and 
bade each to return as quickly as possible to his 
native place, from there to join his respective com- 
pany. He paid them off, and took leave of them with 
a shake of the hand and a blessing. 

The stalwart youths, who had lost their hearts to 
him, kissed the hem of his coat, and went theii* 
way with tears in their eyes. Then he found a 
place of safety for the waggons, whose freight alone 
represented no small capital, made arrangements 
for the sale of the seed and provender, and left the 
horses at the disposal of a dealer. 

Only the one on whose back he rode did he 
keep for his own use. 

It was half-past two before he had transacted 
his business, and was free to start on his homeward 
road. 


284 the sins of the FATHERS 

He had seen hanging up for sale in a tailor’s 
shop an undress state-uniform, which, as the 
officers of the Landwehr were forbidden any gor- 
geous display of ornament, and it happened to fit 
him exactly, he purchased promptly, first having the 
braided collar replaced by a plain scarlet strip. 

Thus respectably fitted out, he was ready to con- 
front his Schrandeners, whom he now saw delivered 
into his hand in a rather different manner from the 
one he had anticipated. 

*••••• 

While Boleslav was riding home. Lieutenant 
Merckel was pacing up and down the back parlour 
of the Black Eagle in furious excitement. 

I won’t, no, I won’t submit to being under the 
command of that scoundrel,” he roared at his father, 
who, to soothe him, had the best wine in his cellar 
(the best was sour enough) set on the table, and 
never wearied of refilling the raving youth’s glass. 

Felixchen,” he supplicated, be sensible. If 
the King has ordered it so, and the authorities 
demand ” 

But what if my honour demands the contrary, 
father ? ” cried his son, angrily twirling the ends of 
his moustache. **I am an officer, father; I have 
some sense of honour, and my sense of honour bids 
me die by putting a bullet through my body with my 
own hand, rather than follow and serve under that 
son of a traitor.” 

‘^But if the King ” repeated the old man in 

desperation. 


1 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 285 

The King ! what does he know about it ? He 
has been taken in, deceived, kept in the dark. But 
I, I will open his eyes. I will say to him, * Here, 
your Majesty, are thirty brave soldiers, and an 

honourable, upright officer, who would rather ' ” 

Drink, Felixchen," entreated the old man, and 
wiped the sweat of anxiety from his brow; *^this 
wine cost me, to begin with, a thaler the bottle. 
Nowhere else in the world could you get anything 
to compare with it.” 

‘^The devil take your swipes!” exclaimed the 
dutiful son, smashing the bottle with his sabre-hilt. 

I don’t intend to sacrifice my honour for any Judas 
reward. My honour is not to be bribed into silence. 
My honour dictates that I should tear the hound's 
i heart out of his breast. And I’ll do it. The Father- 
I land must be rid of such a scandalous reproach once 
for all. This plague-spot in the Prussian staff of 
■ officers must and shall be branded out. I’ll see 
that it is. So sure as I am a brave soldier I will do 
• it, even if I die for honour’s sake. . . . Good-bye for 
the present, father ; I must go now and bid my little 
sweetheart farewell.” And rounding his lips for 
a defiant whistle, the half-inebriated young man 
; swaggered out, his sabre-blade clanking the ground 
at every step. 

Boleslav, as he entered the village shortly after 
four, found the street full of women and old people, 
who ran from under the horse's hoofs, maintaining 
a glum silence, and then followed like evil spirits 
in his wake. He felt for the pistols in his side 


286 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 


pockets, and loosened the scabbard of his sabre ; 
then he fully expected a skirmish of some sort. 

Even if they have no other officer with a soldier’s 
coat on, they may be planning to attack me from the 
front this time,” he reflected, and his breast expanded 
proudly at the thought. 

The crowd was denser in the churchyard square, 
and he was obliged to rein in his horse to give it 
time to get out of his way. Here and there a 
smothered laugh or a half- whispered imprecation 
fell on his ear. Otherwise total silence was the 
order of the day. Close to the church, some twenty 
paces from its flight of stone steps, he saw the 
troops drawn up in double line, about fifteen or 
sixteen squadrons in strength. 

Lieutenant Merckel was parading up and down, 
giving first one and then another — as it seemed — a 
word of encouragement. His face was aflame, his 
gait uncertain ; once or twice his cavalry sabre got 
entangled with his legs and nearly tripped him up. 

Boleslav cast one rapid, searching glance at the 
parsonage. Its windows were closely curtained, and 
in the garden too there was no sign of life. 

He drew a deep breath, and rode into the heart 
of the crowd, which closed behind him. 

Once again he stood single-handed, face to face 
with the Schrandener wolves, but this time he was 
master. 

The sense of iron calm and perfect coolness, 
which he had always experienced at moments of 
life and death issues, did not forsake him now. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 287 

** I am waiting for your salute, Herr Lieutenant^' 
he cried in a threatening tone. 

He was answered by a drunken, jeering laugh. 

So they intended to mutiny 1 His suspicions 
had not been ill founded. 

He tore his sabre from the scabbard. ** Halt I " 
he commanded. 

There was a murmur of dissent. Two or three 
stepped out of the ranks, and Lieutenant Merckel, 
with an abusive epithet, drew his sabre and rushed 
at Boleslav. 

This was a moment in which hesitation would 
have been fatal. A flash of steel, a whiz, and 
Lieutenant Merckel sank howling on the sandy 
earth. 

The ranks broke their line, made as if they would 
spring on him: but surprise and terror petrified 
them. 

** Halt ! ” The command came forth for the 
second time in a voice of thunder; and no one 
dared move an eyelash. 

Boleslav drew a pistol from the saddle-pocket, 
and, holding it with the trigger cocked in his left 
hand, he let the reins slip into his armed right. 

Men of the Landwehr ! ” he shouted in a voice 
that reverberated through the square, '^you know 
that during the last six hours you are bound in 
obedience by a war-decree, and that the slightest 
attempt at insubordination will cost you your lives. 
What has taken place up to this moment I will over- 
look, but whoever does not instantly comply with 


2 88 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

my commands without grumbling will find that I 
shall not scruple to send a bullet through his brain 
on the spot.” 

Felix Merckel, who was bleeding copiously from 
a wound in his head, regained consciousness, and 
tried to raise himself. But the blood that streamed 
over his face blinded him. 

^^Take away his sabre and bind him!” were 
Boleslav’s instructions. 

The men exchanged glances ; they had nothing 
to bind him with. 

Again to hesitate would be to lose the day; so 
with a quick resolve he sprang off his horse, tore 
the bridle from its bit, and handed the thongs to 
the fliigelman on his left. 

“ Set to work, and two others help.” 

Reluctantly, and with evil sidelong glances, they 
obeyed. The prostrate man hit out with hands 
and feet, and endeavoured to wipe the blood out 
of his eyes with his sleeve, but his struggles were 
in vain ; the reins bound his wrists, and the foam- 
spattered curb served as a gag. 

Meanwhile the spirited black charger had broken 
away, and was rearing among the terrified rabble. 

Boleslav saw, as he looked behind him, that the 
church door stood open for a farewell service, and 
that the key was in the lock. 

^^Put him in the church,” he commanded; and 
at the same moment the old landlord of the inn 
appeared on the scene, whimpering and wringing 
his hands. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 289 

** Felixchen ! ” he yelled, what are they doing 
to you ? Don’t give in ; cry for help. Help him, 
dear people. I order you to help him. I am your 
mayor. I insist — I command you.” 

It is my place to issue commands here,” ex- 
claimed Boleslav loftily. 

Then the old man changed his tactics, and, by 
I cringing, tried to soften the disciplinarian’s heart, 
i //err Captain^ have compassion on a wretched 
I father. I have known you since you were a little 
I boy, who sat on my knee, and I always, always 
I was fond of you. Isn’t it true, you people ? 

! Wouldn’t any of us have willingly given our lives 
I for the Junker ? ” 

! Had his corpulency permitted, he would have 
I thrown himself at Boleslav’s feet. On seeing his 
j son hustled away, he ran after him in despair, and 
made a futile attempt to hold him back by the coat- 
tails. But the door was promptly closed on him. 
j “ Give me the key ! ” shouted Boleslav. 

I The old man hurled himself on the steps, and 
I pounded the oak panels of the door with his fists. 

The key was delivered up by the fliigelman and 
his companions. 

Your name ? ” 

‘^Michael Grossjohann ! ” the Schrandener an- 
fwered curtly. 

“ And yours,’' turning to the two others. 

** Franz Malky.” 

Emil Rosner.” 

He entered the names in his pocket-book. 

T 


290 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

‘^You three will keep watch on the prisoner 
through the night, and are answerable for him with 
your heads.” 

Old Merckel, finding the church door did not : 
yield to his furious onslaughts, came to his senses, ^ 
and squinting askance at Boleslav, sneaked off in > 
the direction of the parsonage. The latter thought ; 
he knew what he wanted there. j 

I 

** Three more of you,” he continued, ** will kindly j 
guard the vestry door, the key of which I have not J 
got in my possession, and take care that no one - 
goes in and out except the barber, who is to ■ 
bandage the prisoner’s wound.” | 

Three voices quivering with suppressed anger 1 
assured him his orders should be obeyed. j 

** Now then, to business ! ” he exclaimed. ** Ac- 
cording to the lists the village of Schranden is 
capable of supplying troops to the number—," 
And the mobilisation began. 


CHAPTER XVI 


Two hours later Boleslav quitted the gaping crowd, 
who glowered at him with a sort of stony super- 
stitious awe, as if he were a magician, and as he 
crossed the open common he felt as if he had just 
left a cage of wild beasts, the duty of taming 
which, had fallen to his share. The danger seemed 
i safely over for the present. Having mastered 
them to-day, they won’t dare to mutiny to-morrow,'* 
he thought, and revelled in the joyous sensation of 
having won a victory. 

Now he had only to take leave of Regina, and 
his troubles would be at an end. The world was all 
before him once more ; an unknown future seemed 
to be enticing him onwards with bugle-peals and 
battle-cries. 

Regina I now for Regina I " welled up in him 
with such jubilation, from the depths of his soul, 
that he was frightened at himself. He took a round 
by the wood before approaching the Cats' Bridge, 
to brace and harden his nerves for this last and 
most arduous encounter. 

The sun pierced the topmost boughs of the trees. 
Over the tender young green of the meadows floated 
a shadowy haze, and an odour of fermenting slime 


292 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

rose from the damp ditches. Only the fir-wooo 
looked as dark and mysterious as in winter, with 
scarcely a light-green spike peeping anywhere from 
its black, bare branches. 

He threw himself on the mossy ground and 
watched the sunbeams glint through the purple 
haze that hung over the surrounding thicket. 

Once again he reviewed the daring enterprise 
of the last few hours, and the thickly curtained 
windows of the parsonage recurred to his memory. 
How careful she had been to keep herself out of his 
sight and reach, and how well she had succeeded ! 
Surely she must know what had brought him into 
the village — must know that to-morrow he would 
quit it, perhaps never to return. 

Had she no longing to see him just once before ; 
his departure, and to wish him God speed ? The ^ 
hour she had told him to wait patiently for, was it ! 
not time it came to-day ? What availed the letter 
he wore close to his heart, if the hand that penned 
it was refused to him ? Her image was now quite 
effaced from his heart ; it could no longer lead him > 
to battle, unless the impression was renewed. ^ 

** If she loves me, she will send for me. If she ^ 
doesn’t send for me, she must be lost to me for ever.” 

Having arrived at this conclusion he left the 
wood and bent his footsteps in the direction of the 
river. The park, in its new spring dress of lightest 
green, smiled him a welcome. A shimmering crown ^ 
of silver rested on the tall poplars, and the dark 
masses of ivy glistened on their slender trunks. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 293 

How beautiful was this home, that had been a 
source of such infinite pain and sorrow ! How his 
whole being yearned for that impoverished dwelling 
where he had lodged like a criminal! Was this 
j: longing owing to the woman who had voluntarily 
|| shared his loneliness and wretchedness, and who 
! had tried to make her own misery the foundation 
I of a new happiness for him ? 

But he had no reason to fear what was to come. 
He felt that since the Fatherland had summoned 
him, he was safe from all weak and vicious instincts. 
Even long before this he believed he had completely 
freed himself from her influence. Their relations 
now were merely those of master and servant. 

One more night, and the priest’s curse would be 
remembered only as an old man’s idle babble. Yet 
what would become of her ? She must look after 
herself. He had provided for her future. No one 
could say he was bound to do more. And to-day 
he would renew his bounty twofold or threefold, so 
that she would stand in the position of a wealthy 
widow. When thousands of women and children 
would perish of hunger in broken-hearted distress, 
without any one heeding their fate, why should he 
concern himself so much about deserting this one 
strange girl and leaving her in solitude ? 

He steeled and hardened his heart, for it had 
begun to beat faster. . . . 

And as he mounted the steep ascent to the Cats’ 
Bridge, he caught sight of the familiar figure among 
the bushes above, illumined by the setting sun. 


294 the sins of the FATHERS 

** Regina,” he called. But she did not move. 

** Come and meet me, Regina ! ” 

Then with elevated shoulders she slowly glided 
nearer, the fingers of her left hand outspread, and 
pressed against her breast. 

He looked at her, and was horrified. ** My God ! ” 
he exclaimed, how changed you are ! ” 

Her appearance was wild and distraught in the 
extreme. Her clothes were torn, her hair, which 
under the frequent use of the comb had begun to fall 
into such splendid glossy waves, once more hung 
over her forehead and cheeks in a shaggy, unkempt 
mass. Her eyes shone with feverish, almost uncanny 
lustre from dark-blue cavities, and she dared not 
raise them to his. 

*‘She is pining away,” something cried in him. 
‘^She will die, because of you.” He took hold of 
her hand and it lay limply in his palm. 

‘^Regina, do speak. Aren’t you glad that I've 
come back ? ” 

She ducked her head, as she had been in the 
habit of doing when she instinctively expected blows 
instead of kind words. 

He stroked her rough, dry hair. ** Poor thing ! ” 
he said. ‘*You must have had a dreadfully dull 
time of it, with not a human soul to speak to ” 

She shrank from his touch and was still silent. 

^‘Why did you not write and tell me that you 
found it so terribly lonely ? ” 

She shook her head, and then said timidly, “ It 
wasn’t the loneliness.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 295 

** What was it then ? 

She looked at him nervously and said nothing. 

“ Well, what was it ? ” 

** I ... I thought . . . you weren’t coming back.” 

** But, you foolish girl, didn’t I write and say I was?” 

Yes, you wrote and said, * I am coming perhaps 
in about ten days,’ and I went to the Cats’ Bridge, 
and there I waited day and night — day and night — 
but you didn’t come. And then three weeks after- 
wards you wrote again, 'I shall come home per- 
haps in about ten days.’ And you never came, and 
then I thought you were only putting me off with 
promises ... so as not to break it to me suddenly 
that you weren’t coming back at all. And I thought 
you repented being good to me, because I didn’t 

deserve it, and because I ” She broke off and 

buried her face for a moment in her hands. 

But your letter was so sensible.” 

** Yes, Herr^^ she faltered. ** Would it have done 
for me to write differently ? ” 

He bit his lip, and stared before him into the 
lacework of the young green foliage. Did she 
suspect what would befall her in a few hours ? 

But now all is right again, isn’t it ? ” he asked 
unsteadily. 

With a cry she sank on the ground, and clinging 
to his knees exclaimed, ^^Yes, oh yes, Herr. When 
you are here everything is right, everything is 
different. If you were to go away again, Herr, 
what should I do ? ” 

No, she suspected nothing. The heaviest, most 


296 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

crushing blow of all was in store for her. He felt as 
if there were a thunderbolt concealed in his sleeve, 
which the next time he stirred would descend and 
shatter her to fragments. But he had still time to 
dispose of as he pleased. A few hours to devote 
to this poor creature, in which to revive and make 
her happy again before signing her death-warrant, 
and in which she would unconsciously gather up 
strength for the ordeal. 

‘‘Stand up, Regina,” he said gently. “Let us 
enjoy ourselves, and not think of the future.” 

Then they walked side by side through the dusky 
garden, the neatly kept paths of which were strewn 
with white gravel, and skirted, like glittering rivulets, 
the smooth turf. The shrubs exhaled an indescrib- 
able fragrance, the breath of spring mingled with 
the scent of dying things, and in the tree-tops that 
waved above their heads, they heard the subdued 
whispering twitter of home-coming birds. 

“ How beautifully everything has come out here 
since I went away ! ” he exclaimed. 

“ Yes, Herr^^ she answered. “ It has never been 
so beautiful as it is now.” 

“ It has become so all at once ? ” he asked, smiling. 
He looked at her sideways and noticed the hollows 
in her cheeks. But an exquisite colour was already 
tinging them. 

She has begun to live again, he thought to him- 
self, and it seemed as if the next few hours were to 
be the last vouchsafed to him too of a vanishing 
happiness. 


THE SINS OF the FATHERS 297 

** In spite of everything, you have worked hard,” 
he said, striving to retain his tone of condescending 
patronage, and he pointed to the neat borders in 
which auriculas and primroses were planted. 

She gave a proud little laugh. thought to 
i myself you should find everything in order if you 
did come back, Herr'' 

** But you have neglected yourself, Regina. How 
is that ? ” 

She turned her face away, blushing hotly. 

‘^Shall I tell the truth, Herr?" she stammered. 
Of course,” he said. 

thought . . . I . . . was . . , going to die 
. . . and so ... it wouldn't matter.” 

He was silent. It was as if she poured forth an 
ocean of infinite love with every word, and that its 
waves rolled over him. 

The lawn on the farther side of the Castle, sloping 
gently down to the park, now opened before his 
gaze. There stood the weather-beaten socket of the 
Goddess Diana’s pedestal. Regina had collected 
the pieces and put them together again, but the 
torso had been beyond her strength to lift, and 
it lay in the grass, while the head, with its blank 
white eyes, looked down on it. A few steps farther 
on, a dark four-cornered patch stood out in relief 
from the emerald turf. That was the spot where 
he had first seen her busily employed in digging a 
grave for her seducer, whom every one else refused 
to bury. 

** I left it as it was- — in memory of me,” she said 


298 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

apologetically, pointing to the turned-up clods that, 
now overgrown with grass, had joined and formed 
a bank. 

Then they walked on towards the undergrowth 
that surrounded the cottage like a thick hedge. 

^^And I have mended the glass roof too,” she 
said. 

“Ah! indeed!” 

Their eyes met for a moment, and then they both 
quickly looked in front of them again. There 
was an aspect of peaceful welcome about the little 
house. Its window panes had caught a ray of 
the departing sunlight, while all else lay buried in 
deepest shadow. 

A sense of contentment at being at home, and of 
gladness that this was his home, overcame him, and 
for a moment allayed his gnawing restlessness. 

“Go,” he said, “and cook me something for 
supper; I am hungry and exhausted after a long 
ride.” 

He remembered his horse for the first time, and 
wondered where it had galloped to. Then the next 
instant he forgot it again. 

“And make yourself neat,” he continued. “I 
should like you to look your best when you come 
to table.” 

“Yes, Herr-^VW try.” 

They separated in the vestibule. He went into 
the sitting-room, and she to her kitchen. He threw 
himself with a deep sigh on the sofa, that creaked 
beneath his weight. Everything seemed the same 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 299 

as on the night he had left it, except that the 
curtain had been taken away from the corner by 
the stove, and the couch removed; the portrait of 
his grandmother, too, had disappeared. The shot 
which grazed Regina's neck had proved its final 
destruction, and reduced it to ribbons. 

One of the windows was open. The strange 
perfume of fermenting earth, which to-day he could 
not get out of his nostrils, flooded the apartment. 
But here it might possibly come from a lime heap, 
which had been shovelled up at the gable end of the 
house. 

From minute to minute his unrest increased. 
Why shorten for him and her the all too scanty 
time ? He could tolerate solitude no longer, and got 
up with the intention of going into the kitchen, but 
when on the threshold he saw her cowering on the 
hearth with naked shoulders, mending her jacket by 
the firelight, — he retreated, shocked. But in a few 
seconds she came herself to open the door to him, 
fully dressed. 

** Is there anything I can do for you, Herr?'' she 
asked respectfully. 

Show me where you have repaired the roof,” he 
replied, not being able to think of anything else to 
say. He praised her work, without looking at it. 
Then he took up a position on the hearth and stared 
at the tongues of flame in the grate. By this time 
it was nearly dark, and the firelight flickered on 
the rush walls. 

ril help you to cook,” he said. 


300 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

'^Ah, Herr ! You are laughing at me/' she an- 
swered. But her face lighted up with pleasure. 
What am I to have for supper ? ” 

There isn't much in the house, Herr. Eggs 
and fried ham — a fresh salad — and that's all." 

I shall thank God if I " he stopped abruptly. 

He had nearly betrayed the secret of which as yet 
she had no suspicion, and she should not, must not, 
suspect anything. Till the dawn of to-morrow her 
felicity should last. 

‘‘Very well, make haste,” he laughed, while his 
throat contracted in anxious suspense, “else I shall 
expire of hunger.” 

“ The water must boil first, Herr'' 

“All right, we’ll wait, then.” He squatted on one 
of the wooden boxes. “And, Regina,” he went on, 
“come here; do you know I am not satisfied with 
your appearance even now ? Your hair ” 

“ I’ve not had time to comb it yet, HerrP 

“Comb it now at once, then.” 

She flashed at him a look of shy entreaty. 

“While you are here, Herr?" she asked hesi- 
tatingly. 

“ Why not ? Have you become prudish all in a 
minute ? ” 

“ It wasn't that ” 

“ Then don’t stand on ceremony.” 

She went into the far corner of the apartment, 
where her bed stood, and with a quick movement 
loosened the floating wealth of tresses till they 
hung below her hips. In the middle of her comb- 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 301 

ing, aware that his eyes were fixed on her in 
admiration, she suddenly spread out her arms, as 
if overcome with shame and joy, and threw herself 
on her knees by the bed, burying her face in the 
pillows. 

He waited silently till she got up. When her 
hair was done she went to the hearth and busied 
herself among the pots and kettles, without looking 
at him. 

^^Tell me, Regina, what have you been doing 
with yourself all this time ? ” 

She shook her head. Bockeldorf was the same 
as ever; besides the grocer and his wife, I never 
saw a single soul. During the floods I didn’t go 
once down to the village. As I told you in my 
letter, I had to starve for a time, but I didn’t 
mind. And then, during the last few weeks, some 
letters have come, from Wartenstein, and Konigs- 

berg too — and to-day one — from ” 

Ah, never mind ! I’ll look at them later, when 
you’ve brought some light.” 

What concern had he with the outer world to-day, 
when he had burnt the bridges that connected him 
with his past, and nothing remained of all he had 
suffered and lived through ? 

Then when the supper table was spread, and the 
lamp shone at him from Regina’s hand, he crossed 
over with her to the sitting-room. 

^‘You have not laid a place for yourself,” he 
remarked. 

‘‘May I, Herr?'' 


302 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

“Of course you may.” 

“And, Herr, what wine?” 

He drew a long breath — “None I” 

And so once more they sat opposite each other in 
the soft lamp-light, as they had so often done on 
winter evenings, when the snow was driven against 
the window panes, and gales shook the roof and 
rattled in the beams. Now grey moths flapped 
gently to and fro, bringing with them into the room 
whiflFs of the balmy outer air, and the rising moon, 
which was full for the first time since Easter, shim- 
mered through the young foliage. 

He pushed his plate away. Not a morsel could } 
he eat. The precaution of leaving the wine in the j 
cellar had done no good, for the excitement he had ^ 
wished to shun was, notwithstanding, creeping over j 
him. He took a stolen glance at Regina, and 
trembled. Her eyes rested on him in such a 
transport of happiness, that she seemed oblivious 
of everything in heaven and earth, except the fact 
that he was sitting near her. Every trace of sorrow i 
and distress had vanished from her face as if by j 
magic. Its curves had taken a new roundness, a i 
new freshness bloomed in her cheeks. But what i 
struck him as most lovely in her, was the languorous, ■ 
yielding tenderness of her whole being, as if she , 
had loosened herself from the trammels of earth and , 
floated in space. 

“Regina,” he whispered. His heart seemed 
throbbing violently in his throat. A voice of warn- ; 
ing rose within him, saying, “Take care. Be on 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 303 

your guard — this is the last time she will lead you 
into temptation.” 

I ** The last time ! ” came a melancholy echo. 

** Yes ; she will die — perish of heart-sickness and 
I unsatisfied longing.” 

! The scar on his under-lip began to burn. 

^‘Take her in your arms and then kill her; that 
will save her all further misery,” was the next 
1 thought that rushed through his brain. “But it 
would be literal madness to do such a thing,” he 
\ added to himself, shuddering. 

And again their eyes met and sank in each other’s 
i depths. Their souls knew of no resistance, even 
j though their bodies still sought despairingly for 
weapons of defence. 

“Save yourself!” cried that warning voice again. 
“ Think of the curse ! Keep yourself pure and 
unspotted for the Fatherland ! ” 

He tried to think of words to speak that would 
break the spell of blissful enchantment; but none 
would occur to him. Then he rose and walked to 
the open window to bathe his hot brow in the 
cool night air. “ Speak — act — end this silence,” he 
exhorted himself. He thought of the letters she 
had spoken of. 

“Give me the letters,” he said. His voice 
sounded harsh. 

She fetched a packet of white covers, which she 
laid by his plate. He opened the first he came to, 
and .stared vacantly at the unfolded sheet. Would it 
not be better to allude now to the unavoidable? Why 


304 the sins of the FATHERS 

spare her allusion to a parting which was inevit- 
able? But he put the idea from him in horror. 
‘‘Till midnight she shall be happy. Take her in 
your arms, and then 

“ His Hochwohlgeboren the Freiherr Boleslav 
von Schranden is hereby informed that his appeal 
for an inquiry into the causes and events which 
eventually led to the destruction by fire of Castle 
Schranden, on the 6th of March 1809, is receiv- 
ing attention, and that a day has been appointed 
for ” 

With a discordant laugh he tossed the communi- 
cation to one side, and fumbled for the next letter. 
His eye fell on Helene’s handwriting. A feeling 
almost of aversion shot through him. What did 
she want now ? Why disturb him at this the 
eleventh hour ? 

“ My dearest Boleslav,— I can’t let you go to 
the war again without once seeing and speaking to 
you. I beg and implore you to meet me this even- 
ing at nine o’clock, near the churchyard side-gate, 
where I will wait for you. — Your Helene.” 

“ Why not before,” he murmured, “ when there 
was plenty of time to spare ? ” Then suddenly it 
flashed across him that again in an hour of danger 
his guardian angel had put forth her rescuing hand 
to him, and that it would be criminal folly on his 
part to disregard the sign, and not respond to the 
summons. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 305 

“You must — ^you must/’ he said to himself, “or 
you won’t be worth the cannon-ball that at this mo- 
ment is being cast for you in France.” 

Was it not a special dispensation of divine grace 
that the daughter should intervene at such a perilous 
crisis as this to transform the father’s curse into a 
blessing? He looked at the clock. It wanted only 
a few minutes to the hour mentioned. He dragged 
himself on to his feet. 

“I must go down to the village,” he said. “There 
is some one who wants to see me.” And though he 
avoided meeting her eyes, her pathetic, beseeching 
glance penetrated to his innermost soul. 

“I shall soon be back,” he stammered. 

She folded her hands, and placed herself silently 
before him. 

“What is it?” he asked. 

She could hardly articulate her words. 

^^Herr! I am so frightened — I feel as if some- 
thing dreadful was going to happen !” 

“Since when have you been given to presenti- 
ments?” he said, trying to joke. 

“I don’t know — but I feel so strange, Herr! . . . 
something in my throat — as if . . . Oh ! I know it’s 
stupid of me, but I pray you— not to go— not 
to-night ” 

He pushed her gently to one side. The hand that 
she stretched out to hold him back fell helplessly. 

“Please — please don’t go ! . * . HerrH 

He set his teeth and went — went to his guardian 
angel. 


U 


CHAPTER XVU 


The Schrandeners, as many as could leave their 
homes and property, were meanwhile gathered 
together at the Black Eagle, engaged in a farewell 
orgie. 

Old Merckel served them himself. He stood 
behind the bar, refilling unceasingly the empty 
glasses, with the melancholy smile, which to-day 
there was every reason to believe was not put on. 

Drink, dear friends,” he exhorted; don’t let 
the unhappy event in my family prevent you ! 
What does it matter even if he is shot ? He will 
die a noble death for his honour and his Father- 
land ! ” 

He wiped the sweat from his shiny forehead, 
while his little eyes wandered in uneasy antici- 
pation from one face to the other. 

^^Go and take a glass, Amalie,” he said, turning 
to the barmaid, **over to those on guard. I won’t 
bear them malice for helping to bring him to his 
ruin!” 

The Schrandeners, deeply touched at the expres- 
sion of so much high-minded sentiment, gazed into 
their tankards in moody angjr. They would have 
been ashamed of rushing to the inn and displaying 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 307 

such avidity for a carousal in the face of their 
landlord’s private misfortune, had they not felt they 
could not better show their sympathy than by taking 
advantage of the old man’s generous impulses. So 
they poured beer and schnaps down their throats in 
positive streams, and emulated each other as to who 
could drink the fastest. 

The barmaid, as fat and cunning as her master, 
slipped out with a tray containing a dozen foaming 
tankards, after she had received a few whispered 
instructions from him, accompanied by a knowing 
nod and wink. 

‘^And if you should see old Hackelberg about,” 
he called after her, " ask him in — ask him in. He 
has suffered too at the hands of the scoundrel. He 
ought not to be missing on this sad occasion.” 

Brave soldiers,” he continued, wiping his eyes, 
“ drink ! drink ! You must try to forget that this 
day your honour has been forfeited. Yes, indeed, 
your case is lamentable — even more lamentable than 
that of my poor son, to whom it will at least be 
granted to meet death for honour’s sake. But you ! 
faugh, for shame! What will be your feelings 
to-morrow morning, when you have to march away 
under the leadership of that son of a traitor, the 
villain whom our revered Herr Pastor has cursed ? 
It’ll be *• Braun, clean my boots ! ’ and ‘ Bickler, hold 
my stirrup 1 ’ and that sort of thing.” 

The two men mentioned thus by name started up 
with an oath. 

*'And all you others, however much he may 


3o8 the sins of THE FATHERS 

oppress and bully you, you must submit because 
he is your commander ; and if you dare to mutiny, 
you’ll only be shot down like vermin for your pains. 
Such, my poor dear friends, is your pitiable lot ! 
Therefore I say drink, and bid farewell to your 
military honour. To-morrow the very dogs will 
hesitate to take a crust of bread from your hands ! ” 

A half-stifled murmur ran through the room, 
more ominous than a howl of rage. 

Then the carpenter Hackelberg, who had been 
loafing about in the neighbourhood of the inn, 
reeled into the common parlour, half-drunk as 
usual. 

He was received in silence. But old Merckel 
advanced solemnly to meet him, seized him by the 
hand, and led him to a seat of honour. 

‘*You, too, are an unhappy father,” he said to 
him in a voice quivering with emotion. *‘Your 
heart, like mine, has been broken by the ruin of 
your child. You, as well as myself and us all, has 
the tyrant up yonder, on his conscience. So sit 
down, you miserable man, and take a drop of some- 
thing with us ! ” 

The drunkard, who was used to being fisticuffed 
and held up to derision, even by those who bore 
him no ill-will, scarcely knew what to make of this 
highly flattering reception. He glanced suspiciously 
round him with his fishy eyes, and appeared to be 
considering earnestly whether he should begin to 
brag or to weep. Meanwhile he drank all he could 
lay hands on. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 309 

“ Look at this deplorable victim of baronial lust/’ 
Herr Merckel continued. man who is deprived 
of the possibility of revenge must lose his self- 
respect as he has, and degenerate into a sloven. 
Day and night he broods inwardly on the wrong 
that has been done him. But even the trodden-on 
worm turns at last, and who can blame us if we 
wish with all our hearts that the miscreant should 
not live to see another day ? ” 

** Strike him dead ! ’’ spluttered the carpenter, 
suddenly waxing furious, but there was only a faint 
echo in response, for to the men who were now 
soldiers under orders for active service the glibly 
made suggestion seemed no longer a trifle. 

Herr Merckel assumed an air of holy horror. 

For shame, dear people ! we must not listen to 
such treason. I, being your mayor, cannot counte- 
nance it. To strike him down in broad daylight 
would be an unwarrantable act of violence, and 
I wonder you dare entertain such an idea for a 
moment. But who can stem the torrent of righteous 
wrath that vents itself in imprecations and ana- 
themas ? And so it is my most earnest desire that 
our arch-enemy and tyrant may die in his bed 
to-night, or disappear and never be seen again, or 
that his body may be found to-morrow morning in 
the river Maraune. Then it would at least be 
clearly proved that there is still a God above to 
judge and condemn sinners. Amen.” 

*^Amen,” growled his listeners, and folded their 
horny hands. 


310 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

But, alas ! it won’t come to pass. We shall live 
to see the miscreant fatten and prosper, and grow 
grey in this vale of tears. To-morrow he will ride 
up triumphantly and drag out my Felix like a lamb 
to the slaughter. And others who have demurred 
by a word or look will be sacrificed too. Indeed I 
shall be very much surprised if any of you escape 
with your lives. It is his intention, I firmly believe, 
to extirpate every Schrandener from off the face of 
the earth. Like a herd of cattle that has been 
purchased for the shambles, he’ll drive you forth to- 
morrow morning, leaving your widows and orphans 
behind to weep and bewail your fate.” 

An ejaculation of fury arose, so loud and violent 
that even the inciter of it recoiled in alarm. 

Quietly, dear people, quietly ! No law-breaking. 
Although, truly, there is no informer amongst us, 
we would sooner bite our tongues out than betray 
each other. Hackelberg knows that Thereby 
hangs a tale, eh, old friend ? But who knows that 
our //err Captain may not himself be hanging about 
outside, spying through the windows.” 

Five or six heads turned, and were pressed against 
the panes. 

** You think he wouldn’t presume to spy on us ? 
Oh, I can assure you he is not the one to stop short 
at any low trick. I know what you’d like to say, 
and I can’t blame you for it — that if you catch him 
sneaking around at night-time, woe betide him ! ” 

** We’ll strike him dead I Strike him dead ! ” 
fumed the topers. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 31 1 

“Don't be for ever screaming that, children; it 
offends my ears. So much can be achieved quietly. 
Thus, bang ! Some one has fired. Bang again — 
another report. Simply a poacher in the forest. It 
swarms with deer, eh, Hackelberg ? ” He laughed, 
and clicked his tongue. 

“You mustn't sit dozing there, my man. One 
would think you had no more blood in your veins 
than a jelly-fish. Have you forgotten how the late 
Baron had you flogged till your skin hung in ribbons. 
Potztausend! How you danced and bellowed ! It 
was a charming spectacle." 

Hackelberg writhed and grunted over his glass. 

“ At that time you were a sportsman, a terror to 
your master, and your bullet never missed its mark 
Drink away, man ! It’s difficult to believe now that 
you were ever a good shot.” 

“ I am, still," lisped the carpenter. 

“ Ha, ha ! — pardon my laughing, old fellow. To 
begin with, you don't even know what you’ve done 
with your gun." 

“But— I do.” 

“And besides, your hand has become too slack, 
and your honour has evaporated, and your courage 
with it." 

The carpenter laughed. An evil light gleamed 
in the corners of his eyes. 

“ What ? You would maintain that you have a 
spark of honour left in your composition when you 
submit without a murmur to your daughter being 
brought to shame ? And what’s more, you can bear 


312 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

to see her and her seducer at large. Didn’t she, 
your own flesh and blood, scorn you and slap away 
your proffered hand ? Ungrateful, disrespectful 
wench that she is ! ” 

The carpenter staggered to his feet. 

No one follow me,” he roared, and shook his 

fist. 

“ Where are you going ? ” 

That’s no business of any one’s.” 

The Schrandeners, even in their wrath, could not 
resist making fun of the drunkard, but Merckel 
signed to them to let him go in peace. 

He is going to scratch up his gun from the 
dungheap,” he explained. ** Still, what good will it 
do ?” he added with a sigh, while his eyes wan- 
dered uneasily to the door. “ He’ll take care not 
to deliver himself into our hands at night. To- 
morrow, at dawn of day, he’ll come, when none 
of you can defend yourselves, and hand you over 
to your executioners, along with my son Felix, 
and none of you will see Schranden again. So 
drink your last, children — take leave of old Father 

Merckel Ah ! there comes Amalie,” he said, 

interrupting himself, and the lackadaisical expres- 
sion of his face changed to one of cheerful expec- 
tancy. 

The door was thrown open, and Amalie burst in 
greatly excited. She whispered something hurriedly 
in his ear. 

He beamed, and folded his fat hands as if in 
prayer. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 313 

Children,” he cried, there is yet a judge in 
Heaven. The Baron is in the village.” 

The Schrandeners rose from their seats yelling 
with delight. 

Where is he ? Who has seen him ? ” 

Tell them, Amalie ! ” he urged the barmaid, and 
sank back exhausted, like a person who is satisfied 
that his day’s work is done. 

And Amalie told them. She had waited till the 
men on guard had finished their beer, and had 
taken a little stroll in th^ moonlight to get a breath 
of fresh air. Then she had seen a man coming 
across the fields from the Cats’ Bridge. He was 
going in the direction of the churchyard, and wore 
an officer’s coat with scarlet collar and gold buttons. 

Was he armed ? ” inquired a cautious son of 
Schranden. 

Yes ; she had seen his sabre flash in the moon- 
light. 

This information afforded food for reflection. 

^^He has gone to inspect the guard,” suggested 
some one, scratching his head. 

Herr Merckel laughed ironically. 

Since how long has it been customary to review 
sentinels in the churchyard ? ” he exclaimed. I 
tell you what he has gone there for. He wishes to 
pay his dear, chaste Herr Papa a visit — to swear 
on his grave that he will avenge him, so soon as 
you are delivered into his hands as soldiers. Con- 
gratulate yourselves on the expedition.” 

At this juncture an ally cropped up on whom he 


314 the sins of the FATHERS 

had ceased to count. The old carpenter rushed in 
at the door, flourishing in his right hand an old 
fowling-piece, on which hung straw and manure. 
He seemed in a perfect transport of fury, beating 
his breast and capering about like one possessed. 

*‘Who said I had no sense of honour,” he screamed; 

and that I allowed my child to be ruined ? Whereas 
the hussy who has brought shame and disgrace on 
niy grey hairs? I won’t make her a coffin. No; 
ril shoot her down — Fll shoot them both.” 

^*Come along to the churchyard,” cried a voice 
among the villagers, who felt their courage rising. 

The old landlord winced. *‘No, not to the 
churchyard,” he exhorted them. ^*In the first 
place, the ground is sacred ; and in the second, you 
might miss him there. If you really wish to settle 
matters quietly with him once for all — I’m not sup- 
posed to know what you have against him, and 
don’t wish to know — well, my advice to you is to 
go to the Cats’ Bridge. Just there, you know, the 
bank is wooded — not thickly, certainly, but thick 
enough for you to hide behind.” 

** But suppose he returned by way of the village 
and the drawbridge?” put in the cautious trooper 
again. 

Herr Merckel knew better. ** Not he !” he laughed. 

The Cats’ Bridge is handier.” 

Let’s be off, then, to the Cats’ Bridge,” yelled 
the carpenter, bumping the butt-end of his gun 
against the chairs and tables. There was a general 
stampede. Herr Merckel crammed bottles of schnaps 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 315 

into as many pockets as he could catch hold of, as 
his customers hurried out. 

**Take it, friends,” he cried, and welcome! 
Defend your honour — defend your honour ! ” 

Then, when the last had gone, he mopped his 
perspiring brow, and folding his hands, exclaimed 
with an uneasy sigh — 

** Ah, Amalie, if only they don't offer him 
violence ! ” 


CHAPTER XVIII 


On reaching the highroad Boleslav saw the figure 
of a girl come out from the shadow of the church- 
yard yews, and advance to meet him with hesitating 
footsteps. 

The moment to which he had looked forward with 
tender yearning for eight years had come at last, 
yet his heart beat no quicker. ^‘You ought to be 
pleased; congratulate yourself,” he said inwardly. 

She loves you ! She saved you . . . has freed you 
from Regina.” And something echoed sadly within 
him, From Regina ! ” 

The contour of the too slender figure was sharply 
defined against the moonlit background. The 
shoulders looked angular, and her hips fell in 
straight, ungraceful lines from the high-waisted 
bodice. 

He jumped over the ditch, and held out both his 
hands to her. With a prudish simper she placed 
hers behind her back. 

** Don’t be so impetuous,” she lisped. 

He was amazed. The action chilled him, and 
almost excited his contempt ; but he was ashamed 
of the emotion, and tried to suppress it. 

** You have kept me waiting a long time, Regina.” 

316 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 317 

The face she turned on him was illuminated by 
the moon, and he saw plainly how insignificant 
and meagre it had become. She tossed her head 
scornfully. 

‘^My name is Helene^' she said. am sorry 
you have forgotten it;” and pouting, she turned 
her back. 

He winced. Pardon,” he stammered; ‘*it was 
a slip of the tongue.” 

This was certainly an unfortunate beginning. 
She made another grimace, but seemed disposed to 
accept his apology. 

** Don’t let us stay here,” she begged. “ I’m afraid.” 

^‘What of?” 

** Of the churchyard ... if you tvtl/ know.” 

Again he had to struggle against a feeling of 
contempt. In all she said and did he found himself 
involuntarily comparing her with Regina, and the 
comparison was immeasurably to her disadvantage. 

** You know how timid I am,” she said, as they re- 
traced their steps. “It was rash of me to have chosen 
this place for an appointment; indeed it was exceed- 
ingly rash to come at all — and if it weren’t ” 

Instead of finishing her sentence she cast at him 
an affected sidelong glance. Then, as he offered 
to help her over the ditch she gave a little scream 
and said, “ No, no I ” 

His half-defined sensation of disappointment now 
gave place to blank astonishment. She gazed round 
her nervously. 

“ We can’t stay here either,” she whispered. “ If 


3i8 the sins of THE FATHERS 

I were caught here alone with a gentleman, I believe 
I should die of shame/’ 

“ Where do you wish to go, then ? ” 

^*You must decide.” 

Very well. Come into the wood.” 

She clasped her hands together with an agitated 
old-maidish gesture. 

‘‘What are you thinking of?” she exclaimed. 
“ At night . . . with a gentleman ! ” 

He rubbed his eyes. Was it really possible, what 
he heard and saw? Could this be Helene, the 
guardian angel to whom he had looked up, as to a 
being belonging to another world ? 

But perhaps it was he who was to blame. Perhaps 
the language of innocence and virtue was no longer 
intelligible to him because of the fair savage who 
had perverted his tastes, and filled his imagination 
with impure pictures. 

“Then let us walk quietly along the highroad,” 
he said. 

“ But if some one comes ? ” 

“ We can see that no one is coming.” 

“Yet some one might . . .” 

He was at a loss for an answer. A silence ensued, 
and then he said, “ Won’t you take my arm ? ” 

“ Oh, I don’t know whether I ought,” replied the 
love of his youth. 

And again they walked on in silence. It almost 
seemed as if they had nothing at all to say to each 
other. 

“ Regina is waiting ! ” a voice cried within him. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 319 

“ How silent you are ! ” Helene lisped, playfully 
pinching his elbow with two of the finger-tips that 
lay on his arm. You wicked man ! Haven't you 
a little bit of liking left for me ? ” 

He felt he had no right to say ** No.” She had 
been true to him, had trusted his word for eight 
long years ; he dared not prove himself unworthy 
now of her faith in him. When he had reassured 
her with a stammered Of course, of course,” she 
sighed, a deep-drawn, languishing sigh. 

** I hear such dreadful things about you,” she said, 
*Hhat I don’t know what to believe. Tell me it's 
not true.” 

** What ? ” he asked wearily. 

**Ah, a girl can’t discuss such matters. Immoral 
things, I mean. In old days you were a good, noble 
fellow, and I can’t believe it’s true that you've 
altered so completely.” 

She drew a little closer to him. In doing so, 
she dropped her blue silk reticule. As he stooped 
— with her — to pick it up, the peak of his cap 
brushed her face. 

^*Oh, take care!” she simpered, drawing back 
hastily. 

** A thousand pardons ! ” he answered, in a tone of 
rigid politeness, and bit his lips. 

Well, you don't answer my question,” she con- 
tinued. Perhaps it is true, then, what people say ! 
I should be sorry to think that poor unhappy me 
had been so deceived in you. But papa always 
thought you would come to a bad end.” She said 


3 20 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

this with such a ludicrous little air of superiority, 
that he could not help smiling. 

She seemed to discern that she was appearing 
absurd in his eyes, and went on in a deeply injured 
tone, " Ah, it*s all very well to laugh at a poor girl, 
whose intentions towards you are so kind, and who 
would give anything to prevent your ruin.” 

Please, do not trouble yourself on my account,” 
he replied. 

^*Now you are making yourself out worse than 
you are,” she interposed. ** I know you have a noble 
nature at bottom. And if fate parts us for ever, I 
shall always, always keep a warm place for you in 
my heart Oh, what bitter tears have I shed for you 
many a time ! And I’ve prayed every night to God 
to keep the dear friend of my youth from sin, and 
from wicked revengeful thoughts, and to give him a 
good conscience.” 

“ I am afraid the behaviour of the Schrandeners 
is not exactly calculated to cure a man of revengeful 
thoughts,” he replied. 

She turned up her sharp little nose. ** The Schran- 
deners are an uncouth lot,” she remarked. ** And one 
can’t have much to do with them. I would much 
rather stay altogether with my aunt in Wartenstein. 
There at least one associates with respectable, well- 
mannered townspeople, who lift their hats to a lady 
when they meet her in the street. Not a single 
Schrandener, with the exception of Herr Merckel, 
and Felix of course, dreams of doing such a thing. 
Felix,” she added with a sigh, ** has the manners of 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 321 

a gentleman and an officer.” Then as if something 
had suddenly recalled the events of the afternoon to 
her mind, she screamed, wrung her hands and said, 
** Oh, Boleslav, Boleslav ! ” 

** What is it, Helene ? ” 

** Boleslav, how could you be so wicked ! Poor, 
poor Felix ! I did not see it myself, for I was in the 
back-garden drawing radishes, but they told me 
afterwards how you slashed at his head with your 
drawn sabre, till it poured with blood.” She shud- 
dered and shook with suppressed sobs. Then she 
wrenched her hand out of his arm and skipped to 
the opposite side of the road. Go ! I won’t have 
anything more to do with you,” she cried. You 

acted in a harsh and cruel manner ” 

But you don’t understand, dear Helene,” he 
protested. 

*‘And he was your schoolfellow and playmate, 
and used to play hide-and-seek with us both in the 
garden. He often climbed over the hedge for you 
to get your ball when you had tossed it too far, and 
he used to give you guinea-pigs. Have you for- 
gotten everything? You ought to remember the 
dear old times.” 

Because of the guinea pigs, eh ?” 

“Oh, — and to think that you have shut him up 
in the cold dark church I Papa is of opinion that 
you have no business to do it ; he says he will report 
your conduct to the kommando^ and that probably 
you will get the worst of it” 

She resembled her father so little, he thought, that 

X 


322 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

his words of thunder when repeated by her lips 
sounded the most insipid chatter. And it was on 
this cackling little hen that he had let the great 
question of to be, or not to be, hang ! 

She had now come back to his side, and with a 
mincing gesture pushed her hand again through 
his arm. 

^^They say that you intend carrying him off 
to-morrow a prisoner, to be tried by a court- 
martial, and that he will be shot dead for certain. 
But it must be a lie. It is, isn^t it ? You couldn’t 
do such a thing ; I wouldn’t believe it of you. You 
are not so bad as all that.” 

He suppressed an exclamation of impatience. 

“ Say you won’t ? ” she besought, wiping her 
eyes. If I ask you, dear Boleslav, to let him go 
free, you will grant me the favour — I know you 
will.” 

She spoke calmly, as if the request she made 
were merely a casual one. But there was secret 
anxiety in the eyes that glanced at his suspi- 
ciously. 

Dear, dear Boleslav ! ” she continued more 
urgently, her arm trembling violently, ‘‘ if you care 
for me the very least little bit, don’t let us part 
before you have promised me this. I will cherish 
your memory always in my heart, if Fate is cruel 
enough to separate us for ever, and will at least 
never cease to pray for you and bless you.” 

I am sorry, Helene,” he said, moved to speak- 
ing more warmly by her now evident distress, if 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 323 

I must seem hard and inexorable to you. But it is all 
of no good. Your wish cannot possibly be fulfilled.” 

She had not in the least expected this answer, 
and regarded him for a second with a cold, angry 
expression. Then suddenly she burst out weeping, 
and sank against the trunk of a tree for support, 
with her thin hands before her face. 

At the same moment the report of a gun was 
heard in the distance, the echo of which slowly 
rolled through the woodlands. 

Helene gave a frightened cry, and, throwing up 
her hands, sobbed out — 

‘‘Now they have shot him for certain, because 
you, inhuman monster, have commanded it! Oh 
dear ! have you no mercy ? ” 

Listening in the direction from which the gun- 
shot had come, he did his best to soothe her. 

That the shot had anything to do with Felix 
Merckel was, of course, out of the question. 

It had undoubtedly been fired in the wood, on the 
farther side of the Castle, probably by a poacher on 
the track of a wild red deer. 

But she sobbed more violently than ever — 

“ It’s all very well . . . but you . . . you . . . 
intend dragging him out to his death — you know 
you do.” 

Her increasing agitation began to bewilder Bole- 
slav. He assured her he would do everything in 
his power to ameliorate Felix’s sentence. He him- 
self would testify to his being hopelessly intoxicated 
at the time. His old rancour against himself, his 


324 the sins of the FATHERS 

wounded vanity, all should be cited in extenuation 
of his offence, and might influence his judges to 
mildness. 

But she was not satisfied, and at last dropped on 
her knees in the clay soil, and cried aloud — 

“ Be merciful ! be noble ! Save him I ” 

** For God’s sake, stand up ! ” 

“ No, I shall not. In the dust I’ll kneel to you 
and implore your mercy.” 

‘‘But don't you see that I shall be imputing to 
myself a murderous design if I represent him as 
innocent ? ” 

“Never mind,” she sobbed. “If you really love 
me, you won't object to making this little sacrifice 
for my sake.” 

Then it began to dawn on him that it was not 
for the pleasure of seeing him she had summoned 
him to her side, but, in accordance with a precon- 
ceived plan, to make use of his love for her on 
behalf of another. And of such stuff as this the 
woman was made, of whom for long years he had 
considered himself unworthy ! This was the radiant 
angel who had represented his ideal of purity and 
goodness, whose name he had held too sacred to 
mention in the same breath as Regina’s ! 

And Regina, the dishonoured, the outcast ! 
What worlds she seemed now above this sly 
virtue ! 

A wild laugh burst from him. 

“ Why did you not tell me at once that you were 
in love with some one else ? ” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 325 

She started. **That is a slander I” she cried. 
I am an honest, innocent girl ! ” 

“ Well, I presume you are betrothed ? ** 

She began to cry again, though even in her grief 
she did not forget to carefully brush the mud from 
her skirts. 

“Oh, Boleslav,** she wailed, “it’s all your fault. 
Why did you keep me waiting for you so long ? 
And why have you given people so much cause to 
gossip about you ? And then you know, there was 
papa! His consent could never have been won! 
What was I, poor girl, to do ? ** 

“Please, say no more. It really doesn*t matter!** 
he broke in cheerily. 

“ You aren*t angry with me, then ? ** 

“ Oh no ! not in the least ! ” 

In silence he accompanied Helene back to the 
village, took a friendly farewell of her, and promised 
to do all he could to save her fiancL 

She thanked him, made a formal little curtsey, 
and they parted. 

And so ended the great love of his life. 

As he watched the shadow of her meagre little 
figure disappear behind the houses, his whole soul 
cried out for Regina in uncontrollable boundless 
jubilation. Now the road was free — free for sinful, 
exultant love. 

But what was sin, when virtue had collapsed so 
deplorably? How could there be any evil, when 
what was good appeared so absurd and contemp- 
tible ? 


326 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

'^Take her in your arms — crush her to your 
breast — even to-morrow shall not cheat you of 
her. . . . She shall follow you to the camp, from 
battle to battle — let her wear men’s clothes like that 
Leonore Prohaska, the heroine whom all Germany 
admires and honours ! ” 

Regina 1 Regina ! ” he carolled anew, stretching 
out his arms exultingly, in anticipation. He bounded 
over the moonlit meadows, and higher and darker 
every minute rose the wooded bank of the river 
before him. 

She would be standing on the Cats’ Bridge looking 
out for him, as she had always done. 

Regina ! ” he shouted over the river. But no 
answer came. Deep silence all around. There was 
only a faint rustle among the young leaves of the 
willows that sounded like slumberous breathing 
through half-closed lips; and a gentle splashing 
came up from the invisible river. Its waters were 
low, and broke on the sharp pebbles. He climbed 
the steep steps. 

** Regina ! ” he called again. Still silence. Then 
he saw that in the centre of the plank, the rickety 
hand-rail had given way : rotten splinters hung on 
either side. Horror-stricken, he looked down at 
the river. 

On its silver surface floated a woman’s corpse. 


CHAPTER XIX 


When the Schrandeners left the Black Eagle they 
dispersed to their homes, with the intention of 
arming themselves to the best of their ability. 

Half of them did not turn up again. The others 
— about twenty in number — careered in detachments 
behind the limping carpenter, round the Castle island 
in the direction of the Cats' Bridge. Once united 
under the shelter of the bushes, they believed they 
would be unseen and unfollowed. They sneaked 
in silence through the damp grass ; only the old 
drunkard insisted on keeping up an incessant chatter 
and mumbling. He conversed excitedly with his 
gun as if it had been a human being — shook and 
exhorted it not to fail him. From time to time he 
held the butt-end to his cheek in an aiming posi« 
tion, and when his range of vision became confused 
by the sight of his own dancing fingers, or imagi- 
nary bats and fireflies, he would take a long pull 
at his bottle to clear it. 

On reaching the Cats’ Bridge, which darkly 
spanned the river, its rivets glittering in the moon- 
light, the Schrandeners divided, some going to one 
side of it and the rest keeping to the other. As 
noiselessly as their half-drunken condition would 

permit, they slid down the decline in order to screen 
327 


328 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

themselves behind the alders. Those who had fire- 
arms, led by the old carpenter, stationed themselves 
on the edge of the sand-bank, so that they might 
bring their victim down from the plank bridge, 
should he by any chance escape the meditated 
attack from below of pikes, scythes, and flails. 

For the space of five minutes there was scarcely 
a sound audible, beyond the crackling and swishing 
among the twigs caused by some one stretching out 
a hand for his bottle of schnaps. Death-like still- 
ness reigned too on the island. 

Then the carpenter, whose eyes were momentarily 
sharpened by brandy, and who was on the alert like 
a tiger crouching for a spring, discerned a figure 
emerge and walk slowly and softly on to the Cats’ 
Bridge. It must have been cowering in the boscage 
above, on the opposite bank, for several minutes. 

As the figure came out of the shadow into the 
full light of the moon, he recognised his daughter. 
Clearly she had discovered the assassins, and was 
now on her way to warn the Freiherr of his peril. 

Go back, you vermin ! ” he cried, all a sportsman’s 
fury at being deprived of his certain prey taking 
possession of him and clouding his erratic brain. 

She ducked her head, but glided forwards, holding 
on to the hand-rail. 

“Back, or I’ll aim!” 

With one frantic leap she tried to propel herself 
forwards, but a shot was fired at the same instant, 
and she sank noiselessly against the rotten balus- 
trade. It snapped in two, and a dark, lifeless mass 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 329 

fell from the heights of the Cats’ Bridge into the river. 
The water rose and fell in sparkling cascades. In 
the shallow bottom the stones rolled and ground 
against each other. 

Then slowly the whirling, swaying body rose to 
the surface of the ripples, till the face gazed upwards 
and was brilliantly illumined by the moon, 

A profound stillness reigned on the bank. 

Motionless, and with bated breath, every one 
stared down on the dead, upturned face, with its 
wide-open eyes, which seemed full of warning and 
rebuke. A corner of her skirt had caught on a 
gnarled stump of a tree, which projected into the 
river; thus she was anchored, and prevented from 
drifting down with the stream. 

Softly and cautiously, as if playing with it, the 
current moved the body to and fro, and no one, 
however much he might wish to avoid it, could help 
seeing the head as it reposed on the water. 

The silence lasted a full ten minutes, and then 
one of the Schrandeners, who had helped to incar- 
nate the evil conscience of the village, shyly with 
bent head slunk away, making the bushes crackle 
and rustle as he went. A second followed ; a third, 
a fourth, . . . until at last the scene of the catas- 
trophe was deserted. 

The carpenter, who had been contemplating his 
daughter’s dead face, grumbling, and talking to 
himself the while, found himself alone. 

Suddenly he roared out hoarsely, ” Fire ! fire ! 
fire ! ” and hurled his gun at the corpse. It went 


330 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

splashing to the bottom of the river, and he stag- 
gered after the others as fast as his legs would 
carry him. 

Nothing stirred now near the Cats* Bridge. 
Boleslav was safe! 

Some time elapsed before he was able to take in 
what he saw. He stared in stupefaction, first at the 
floating corpse, then at the broken balustrade. 

** You should have had it repaired long ago,** he 
thought, and toyed dazedly with the fragments. 

Then, as if waking from a dream, he went back 
to the bank, and climbed down the ravine, where he 
found broken branches lying about, and freshly- 
made footmarks. A vague suspicion of what had 
happened dawned on him, and then quickly died 
out; the hope that there might yet be time to 
restore her to life absorbing his mind, to the 
exclusion of every other emotion. 

He crawled cautiously along the tree -stump 
as near the body as he could get, and drew it 
ashore with the hilt of his sabre. ... Now she 
lay on the shining sand, and a hundred little rivulets 
ran from every part of her. He took his sabre- 
blade and cut her wet jacket off her, and became 
aware of the blood that had dyed her chemise 
crimson. As he ripped this away, too, he found 
the fount from which the stream flowed in a wound 
beneath her left breast. 

Now he knew what that gunshot had meant. 
And when the first wild impulse for vengeance, 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 331 

which seemed to scream in his ear, Go and burn 
their houses to the ground, and hew them down 
till you yourself are hewn down ! ” had subsided 
and consumed its own rage, he flung himself on 
the corpse, and broke into passionate weeping. 
He lay thus for a long time, then slowly rose, and, 
bearing her on his shoulders, carried her through 
the footprints of her murderers up the steep incline 
over the Cats' Bridge to the island. She was no 
light burden, and three times he sank on to his 
knees, gasping under her weight. 

Near the shrubbery that surrounded the cottage 
he was obliged to put her down, for he feared he 
should swoon from his exertions. She lay on the 
same spot where he had found her, motionless and 
bleeding, after his father’s funeral. 

Now as then the moonbeams played on the still 
pale face ; only now she would not revive, could 
never be recalled to life. 

** They have succeeded at last ! ” he cried, break- 
ing into a loud, bitter laugh. 

A sharp spasm of pain shot through the back of 
his head ; he felt as if he must go raving mad if 
those fixed, glazed eyes continued to look up at him 
much longer. 

But his anxiety to get the corpse interred before 
he went away brought him to his senses. The 
Schrandeners were capable of laying the murdered 
girl beneath the earth somewhere in the heart of the 
forest ; thereby removing all evidence of their crime, 
and crippling the hands of justice. 


332 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

The one person he felt could be relied on to do 
what was right in the matter was the old pastor. 
Much as he might have denounced and slandered 
her hitherto, he, at all events, would not be a party 
to this last foul outrage. Boleslav therefore resolved 
to rouse him from his bed, and to bring him to the 
spot, so that later when he himself was, God knew 
where, a witness might not be wanting. 

The belfry clock struck eleven as he reached the 
village street. The sentinels were parading noise- 
lessly up and down in front of the church door, 
otherwise the whole world was apparently wrapped 
in profound slumber. 

But from one of the cottages he passed, loud 
blows, oaths, and scolding cries fell upon his ear. 
He looked over the hedge, and saw the green coffin 
which was the carpenter Hackelberg’s trade-mark, 
looming uncannily from its stand. 

The drunkard's imbecile formula occurred to him. 
**His wish is likely to be fulfilled," he thought; 

he has now the chance of making a coffin for his 
daughter and in a bitterly ironical mood he deter- 
mined to communicate to the old man, if he were 
still in possession of his faculties, his child’s terrible 
end, and to demand the fulfilment of his promise. 

He entered the gloomy passage. From a room 
on the right proceeded the gurgling cries of the 
thick, drunken voice which excited his involuntary 
disgust. Mingled with it was a spasmodic hissing 
and whizzing that he could not explain, till he had 
lifted the latch and witnessed a spectacle so hor- 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 333 

rible and revolting that, rich as the day had been 
for him in horrors, he recoiled before it faint and 
shuddering. 

The old carpenter, his clothes half torn off, bleeding 
from the throat and arms, the moonlight bringing 
into prominence the hideous filthiness of the room, 
plunged about as if seized with an attack of St. 
Vituses dance. Every limb quivered violently, and 
he foamed at the mouth. His eyes rolled in a 
maniacal frenzy, and the muscles of his face 
twitched convulsively. A huge plane hung from 
his right hand, the handle of which, formed in the 
shape of a ring, had grazed his knuckles, and which 
he vainly endeavoured to steady with his palsied 
fingers. Whenever he came to a wooden surface, 
whether on the table, the walls, or the planks that 
covered the floor, he tried to plane it, and this 
caused the hissing sound which always ended 
abruptly with a rasping jerk. 

** It’ll soon be ready now I ” he cried. ** One 
more blow” . . . ssh . . . ‘*and the shaping’s 
done.” . . . ssh . . . ssh . . . Damn the bats . . . why 
can’t they leave a man alone ? ” . . . ssh . . . ssh . . . 
** Forwards . . . Listen ! Fire ! fire ! The Castle’s 
on fire! Fire I fire! Keep out of the way, you 
baggage — if you tell any one you’ve seen me — with 
the tinder and the bundle of flax” . . . ssh . . . 
ssh . . . ** I won’t finish your coffin.” . . . ss . . . 
ssh . . . **Get out of my sight, you snake.” He 
lunged against Boleslav, who, with a presentiment 
of what ghastly disclosures were to be made to 


334 the sins of THE FATHERS 

him, had planted himself in his way. The drunkard 
appeared to be labouring under the delusion that 
Boleslav was his daughter. Go back — off the 
Cats’ Bridge — the Baron shall get his deserts to- 
day — back — or ” He laid the plane against 

his cheek, and took aim ; then, as if confronted by 
another vision, he yelled once more at the top of 
his voice, trembling with fright, Fire ! fire ! ” and 
made an attempt to creep under the table, planing 
the tattered tails of his coat as he went. Fire ! 
fire ! Get away — I didn’t do it ! My daughter is 
a liar. . . . The flames are spreading. Fire ! fire ! 
Look at the flames ! ” 

With the flames he seemed to reach the zenith of 
his delirium, and then gradually descended again to 
the bats, which he made a feint of chivying out of 
his way with his arms and legs, and then resumed 
planing the legs of the table. 

Nearly ready, dear sir.” . . . ssh . . . ssh . . . 
^‘Just a couple more boards.” . . . ss . . . ssh . . . 
** My daughter’s debauched .... There can be 
no mistake,” . . . ss . . . ssh , , , finely polished.” 
. . . ss . . . ^* Now there she lies, and will howl no 
more. . . . ssh . . , What, not gone yet ? Your 
father’ll drive you out.” . . . ss . . . ssh . . . 
^‘The Baron will get a shot lodged in his ribs 
to-day.” . . . ssh . . . ‘*We want extra hands. 
Hurrah, men! — Hurrah, Merckel!” . . . ss . . . 
“Come off the plank — down from the bridge, you 
beast. Have you any more French behind you ? 

ou don’t go at once 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 335 

Here he made for Boleslav. He looked in the 
moonlight, with his tottering legs, his palsied head, 
and his flapping arms, like some ghastly phantasmal 
monster, whose limbs were pieced together by a 
hundred movable joints. Just as he was reaching 
his goal, the flames began to pursue him once more, 
and to escape from them he crept, with a piercing 
shriek this time, beneath a stack of wood, where, 
with dense swarms of bats, the fearful cycle of his 
delusions recommenced. 

Boleslav, shaken to the foundations of his being 
by the awful truth the old man had revealed in his 
delirious ravings, felt he could no longer bear to gaze 
on such a hideous scene. 

He fled from the house as if the imaginary flames 
which so terrified the maniac were pursuing him too, 
and he did not pause till he had left the village 
behind him, and found himself encompassed by the 
shadows of the ruins. 


CHAPTER XX 


The church clock had struck the midnight hour, by 
the time Boleslav got back to the spot where he had 
left Regina’s soulless body. 

A protecting darkness now veiled the white face, 
for the moon had passed behind a bank of clouds, 
yet even from the darkness the great lustreless eyes 
gazed appealingly up at him, as if asking a question 
to which there was no answer here or hereafter. 

He threw himself on his knees beside her, and, 
saying good-bye to the two stars, whose light had 
gone out, he tenderly closed their lids. She now 
looked as if she were asleep, and he breathed more 
freely. He felt something almost approaching a 
painful satisfaction as he watched by her. ‘‘You 
belong to me, only to me,” he said. ‘‘No one else 
shall have any part or lot in you, in death as in life.” 

What he had resolved to do, in a spirit of defiance, 
as he left the murderer’s house, in his present calmer 
mood still seemed the most commendable course to 
take. Past events appeared to him now like a brazen 
chain of guilt, to which for years one link after the 
other had been added. And into this chain had been 
forged, till it was made a component part of it, an 
unlawful love. For the sake of this love which was 
336 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 337 

sinful as hell and pure as heaven, that which only 
the silence of the night had witnessed should in 
the silence of the night be buried — buried with 
this corpse. 

What retribution could be rendered by the poor 
tribunal of man, in a case in which fate had so 
clearly interfered and pronounced sentence ? Would 
it not be profaning the dead body to drag it into 
the glare of publicity, and so expose it to the snivel- 
ling curiosity of the vulgar herd ? 

Should he permit the priest who had cursed her 
in her lifetime to consign her to the grave with a 
perfunctory blessing ? And would not this involve 
her being laid in a coffin manufactured by her father's 
blood-guilty hands, followed by his accomplices as 
mourners, hooting and throwing stones ? 

Ah no; it should not be! She should be the 
prey, now she was dead, of no Schrandener wolves. 
He alone, for whom she had lived, for whom she 
had gone to meet her death, must prepare her last 
resting-place. He would hide her in the lap of 
mother earth, and smooth the turf so carefully 
above her that no body-snatcher would ever dis- 
cover and profane the holy spot He lifted the 
corpse in his arms and carried it to the grass-plot. 
The moon had risen high in the heavens and shrouded 
the landscape in a veil of silver. From the dewy 
glistening grass rose the fragments of the old Diana 
statue in dazzling whiteness. Here he bore her 
and let her sink on the turf, her neck supported by 
the cracked pedestal, so that with her face turned 

Y 


338 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

towards the moon, she looked as if she had fallen 
asleep in a sitting position. Then he sought a burial- 
place. His eye fell on the black, four-cornered 
patch which Regina had intended for his father's 
grave. How vividly she came back to him, as she 
had looked then, in the full splendour of her sun- 
burnt strength and beauty, driving the heavy spade 
into the ground with her naked foot, as if it had been 
a ramrod. If he had not then interrupted her in her 
work, he would to-day have been spared his. 

The service of love she had wished to render his 
father it was now his duty to do for her. What 
could be simpler than to go on digging deeper the 
grave that she had begun that day, little dreaming 
it would be her own ? 

He fetched a spade from the kitchen, where the 
fire she had kindled was still smouldering, and 
began with all his strength to throw up the sod. 
From time to time he paused and glanced at her. 
She seemed well content to sit there in the bright 
moonlight, and quietly contemplate his labours. 
Now and then, when the shadow of a cloud flickered 
on her face, he half fancied she moved, and was 
going to rise to her feet. 

Then that tormenting scepticism that all ex- 
perience in the presence of their beloved dead 
overwhelmed him. He called her name and rushed 
to her side. Her hand rested on Diana’s head, 
which lay close to her in the grass. He dared not 
touch her, and stole back to his work, his face 
buried in his hands. 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 339 

The grave began to grow deep, and he feared 
that soon he might not be able to climb on to the 
edge again. He went to get the flower-stand out 
of the green-house, on the shelves of which she 
had ranged the plates and dishes in such beautiful 
order. 

No one shall eat off them again ! ” he said, 
and dashed the earthenware crockery on the floor, 
where it broke to atoms. He placed the stand 
against the inside of the grave, to serve as a 
ladder, and then continued throwing out the soil 
as before. 

By the time the clock in the village had boomed 
out the second hour of the morning, his melancholy 
task was finished. He had no coffin for her, but 
to prevent her lying on the black moist earth, he 
fetched from his bed, which she had always taken 
pains to keep so daintily clean and tidy, a quilt, 
and two feather pillows, and lined the grave with 
them. 

And now the time for parting had come. He 
raised her in his arms, and bore her to the edge of 
the pit ; then sitting down on the mound of turf to 
take breath, he lifted her head on to his knees. 
Never before had he been able to look at her so 
leisurely, for he had never dared trust himself to 
let his eyes rest on her for long. Now he studied 
lovingly every feature of the dead face, caressed the 
stiff cheeks, and wrung the water from her heavy 
curls. A cold shiver passed through his frame. 
He had held the wet body, with its dripping skirts, 


340 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

so long in his arms, that his own clothes were 
damp from the contact. 

** Farewell ! ” he murmured, and kissed her on 
the forehead. He was going to kiss her on the 
lips, but drew back quickly. 

^*You disdained them in life,” he said to himself 
** so in death they may not belong to you.” 

And then he edged the corpse nearer the grave, 
and jumped down on to the top step of the stand. 
Slowly and cautiously he lifted her in, stretched her 
on the quilt, and cushioned her head on the soft 
pillows. 

Once more he wanted to kiss her, but was afraid 
to leave the stand that bridged her feet; so he 
contented himself with stroking her hands, which 
he could reach from where he sat; then he clam- 
bered out of the grave, drawing the stand after him 
with the top of the spade-handle. But afterwards 
he found he had forgotten to draw a corner of the 
quilt over her face, to prevent the soil from falling 
on it. Flowers,” he thought, will do as well ; ” 
and he went in search of them. Under the trees in 
the park grew great masses of anemones and blue- 
bells, and there were violets and primroses, that she 
herself had cultivated, in the garden. 

He gathered all he could see in the uncertain 
light. The anemones and primroses had closed 
their calyxes in sleep, but the violets looked up at 
him with their confiding blue eyes, as if inviting him 
to pluck them. 

With his hands full he returned to the grave, and, 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 341 

as he looked down into it, stood spell-bound at 
what he saw. It was indeed a picture of almost 
magic loveliness. The moon had passed its height, 
and, shining at the foot of the grave, illuminated it 
on the east side, so that the head, reposing in its 
deep resting-place, was thrown out clearly in relief, 
while the blood-stained body was hidden in darkest 
shadow. 

The still, white face seemed to smile up at him, 
as if lapped in blissful dreams. 

He threw the flowers aside, and, crouching down 
in the loose earth he had thrown up, stared and stared 
down on her, holding a solemn and silent wake. 

Thoughts chased each other through his brain in 
a confused whirl, until gradually he came to a calmer 
and more rational frame of mind. 

He reflected on how she had gone through life 
despised and guilt-laden, and yet unrepentant, ap- 
pearing to be satisfied with her past rather than 
regretting it. 

Once, in an hour of dire perplexity, he had asked 
himself whether it was the dull indifference of the 
brute or the wiles of a devil that made her will so 
strong and her conscience so lax, and he had not 
known what to answer. 

To-day, when it was too late, her true nature was 
revealed to him. 

No, she had not been a brute or a devil, but 
simply a grand and complete human being. One 
cf those perfect, fully developed individuals such 
as Nature created before a herding social system, 


342 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

with its paralysing ordinances, bungled her handi- 
work, when every youthful creature was allowed to 
bloom unhindered into the fulness of its power, and 
to remain, in good and in evil, part and parcel of 
the natural life. 

And as he pondered thus, it seemed to him that 
the mists which obscure the source of human exist- 
ence from human knowledge had dispersed a little, 
and that he had been granted a deeper glimpse than 
most men into the fathomless gulf of the Unknown. 
What is generally called good and bad drifted about 
anchorless on the cloudy surface, but below lay 
dreaming in majestic strength, the Natural. 

And those whom Nature favours,” he said aloud 
to himself, ‘^she lets take root in her mysterious 
depths, so that they spring boldly into the light, 
with vision undimmed and conscience untrammelled 
by the befogging illusions of morality and worldly 
wisdom.” 

Such a highly favoured, completely endowed human 
creature was this abused and abandoned woman. 

‘‘And I for whom she lived and died, have I 
deserved such a sacrifice?” he meditated further. 
“ Was I worthy of the trust and confidence she so 
unhesitatingly placed in me ? ” 

With ruthless severity he sat in judgment on 
himself, and he came out of the ordeal anything but 
unscathed. 

“ Of course I belong to the other type,” he 
thought, “to the people who are torn all their life 
long between right and wrong, and who lose their 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 343 

way in the fog. We regard the tribute Nature 
demands of us as impurity and vice, and yet the 
restraint of moral laws often appears to us hollow 
and far-fetched. Thus we vacillate perpetually be- 
tween defiance and fear of them. We crave for 
the good opinion of the world, in which we don’t 
believe, and tremble in face of its condemnation, 
which we despise and contemn in our hearts. Once 
I thought it would be an indelible disgrace to bury my 
father in this unconsecrated ground ; now I should 
be glad if I had done so. Once I tried to forget 
my bitterness in the ambition of restoring my an- 
cestral inheritance to its pristine glory; now I am 
delighted at the thought of shaking its dust from 
my feet Then I held the Schrandeners to be mere 
barbarous savages ; but to-day I awake to the fact 
that my own race has made them what they are. . . . 
Then I thought this woman too degraded to take 
bread from her hand ; tp-day I am weeping by her 
grave. All my heart was centred on the extinguished 
flame of youth’s first foolish fancy; I insisted on 
making the arbitress of my destiny a simpering, 
prudish minx, for whom I really had long ceased 
to care . . . and I repulsed in horror the most 
splendid and satisfying of natural loves. But truly 
this natural love represented deadly sin, and tempted 
me to contaminate my blood. 

Yet when the worst came to the worst, and the 
life that flowed in my veins had burst from the con- 
trol of all laws, human and divine, could I not have 
made atonement by paying the penalty of death ? ” 


344 the sins of THE FATHERS 

And then the question occurred to him, whether 
the body he talked so lightly of surrendering at his 
own caprice belonged exclusively to him ? What 
if it were the Fatherland’s inviolable possession? 
Certainly, then, he was not privileged to desecrate it. 

It is well that in an hour of chaos like this, 
when good and evil, right and wrong, honour and 
dishonour, seem to be swaying about in hopeless 
confusion, and when the old God of our childhood 
with His Heaven seems to have vanished away . . . 
it is well for swooning men to have one prop left^ to 
lean on, one firm rock to cling to, on which even to 
be shipwrecked were a delightful relief. Such a 
prop, such a stay, have I in my country.” 

Thus spake the son of his country’s betrayer, and 
fervently folded his hands. 

The moon had shifted its radiance away from the 
grave, and the dead face it had illumined now lay in 
shadow. It was scarcely possible to distinguish it 
from the surrounding earth. 

*^The time has come,” he said, and looked round 
him. 

In the east glimmered the first rosy streak of 
dawn. A bluish haze suffused the landscape, and 
above him in the branches began the dreamy twitter 
of awakening birds. He was in the act of throwing 
the flowers into the grave, when suddenly he changed 
his mind, and with a frown cast them aside. 

What need of such fastidious effeminacy ? ” he 
asked himself rebukingly. “ Dust has no reason to 
fear meeting dust.” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 345 

Then he seized the spade, and shutting his eyes, 
began with zest to shovel the dark earth over the 
beloved body. A quarter of an hour later the grave 
was full. He laid the turf carefully in its original 
place, and took care to remove the remnants of 
superfluous soil and scattered flowers, so that when 
the sun rose no one could have found the place 
where Regina slept for ever. 

As he searched for a stone to commemorate the 
sacred spot, his eyes fell on the head of the ruined 
statue, which smiled at him in stony vacancy. He 
lifted it, and planted it in the turf. 

Diana, the chaste," he murmured, “ shall serve 
her as a tombstone. The sister by whom she will 
keep eternal watch is not unworthy of her." 

And again he flung himself on the grass and 
became lost in meditation. On the stroke of six 
he rose, and made preparations to depart. 

^‘They will be fools indeed,” he muttered to 
himself, if they don’t make an end of me to-day.” 

He filled his pistols with new cartridges, and 
sharpened his sabre, for he was determined his life 
should be dearly purchased. 

But when he crossed the drawbridge to the village, 
he was greeted by familiar and friendly faces. They 
belonged to Heide’s sons, who were making their 
way to the Schranden dep6t. They pressed round 
him and offered him their hands. 

^^We are come,” said Karl Engelbert, ‘Ho put 
ourselves under your command, for we wish to make 
amends for our conduct to you in the past.” 


346 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 

** I thank you with my whole heart/’ he replied. 
** All is forgiven and forgotten.” 

Then he walked up to Schranden’s gallant troopers, 
who, pale and with chattering teeth, cowered near 
the church door, like criminals awaiting execution. 

His comrades pointed out to each other in dismay 
the blood-stains on his clothes, but not one dared 
ask him to explain how they came there. 

** Bring out the prisoner, and get a waggon for 
him,” he ordered. Felix Merckel was led out, but 
Boleslav did not deign to give him a glance. 

When farewells had been said, and all was in 
readiness for the march, the old pastor made his 
way through the crowd. His face was haggard 
and his hands shook. 

He hastened to Boleslav’s side and whispered 
in his ear : ** I hear that Regina met her death 
last night. ... I am willing to give her Christian 
burial.” 

“ Many thanks, your reverence,” answered Bole- 
slav, “but I have already buried her with Pagan 
rites,” and he turned away. 

A Schrandener, who, to ingratiate himself, had 
probably spent part of the night in capturing 
Boleslav’s horse, now came forward holding it, with 
a servile grin. 

He swung into the saddle, and his sabre flew out 
of the scabbard. His voice rang out clear and 
threatening above the heads of the crowd as he 
gave the word of commana. 

“ Right, left. Quick march I ” 


THE SINS OF THE FATHERS 347 

They left the village behind them; the woods 
loomed nearer. 

He did not look back. 

• ••••• 

Of the career of Boleslav von Schranden after- 
wards, very little is known. It was considered 
advisable by the military authorities to gazette him 
again into his old regiment, owing to the mutiny 
that had taken place under his command. 

While the East Prussian Landwehr remained 
behind in the ancient provinces, he obtained the 
much-coveted permission to go direct to the seat 
of war. 

It is supposed that he fell at Ligny. 


THE END 





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